


Agency

by Rebellion_Bear



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Lena Luthor-centric, Lena gets to be happy, Lena's secret support network, Mon-El Mentioned, Multi, My First Fanfic, OCcorp, Rhea & Lillian nightmare team-up, Roller Derby, SuperCorp, Tags Are Hard, non-binary POC character, other POC OC, polyamory but it's not the focus, violence is in a dream
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-06-28 10:53:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 76,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15705786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebellion_Bear/pseuds/Rebellion_Bear
Summary: Lena accepts that her infatuation with Kara is futile, but she would still like to have someone special in her life. Someone who would be more than a friend. Finding someone to date, however, has its own challenges. A chance meeting from long ago might provide a solution.Rey is just a person keeping a low profile while helping off-worlders get on their feet (or other comparable appendage). What happens when their longtime friend and mentor asks them for a huge favor? And how does Kara react to Lena’s new relationship?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is mostly Season 2 canon, except there was no full-on Daxamite invasion or massive destruction in National City. The Rhea at L-Corp drama happened, and there was some major posturing and threats and a standoff with Supergirl. The trans-matter portal is a project Lena is working on, but not on the massive scale from the show. Mon-El left with his parents after Lena was rescued from the Daxamite ship. Lead dispersal never happened, but deadly serious conflict with Morgan Edge still exists. Supercorp is endgame, but so is OCcorp.
> 
> Thanks to Philippine, LightningSupernova and SparkleSpaceCat for plot and structure feedback and helping me resolve things that didn’t work at first.

LENA’S DECISION

Having read the same paragraph five times with no comprehension and with the smell of Chinese food lingering in her office and the scent of Kara’s embrace still in her nose, Lena comes to accept that her love for her best friend is unrequited and always will be.  
It’s time to let it go. To move on. For the good of the company and her own sanity and emotional health.  
The evidence is so clear, she doesn’t know why she held on to the fantasy this long.  
The one-sided flirtation.  
The near catastrophic incident with Mon-El and Rhea and the Daxamites. Kara had risked nearly everything to try to keep him from going.  
Lena mentally shook herself. She couldn’t dwell on that now because thinking about what had almost happened to her triggered the nightmares.  
She refocused. This was about coming to terms with who she was to Kara. A friend. A friend held at arm’s length.  
Kara is an alien—Kara is Supergirl—yet she _still_ hasn’t shared her identity with Lena.  
Why had she allowed herself to cling to this hope for so long, knowing it would crush her in the end? Just to enjoy that spark in Kara’s eyes? That glorious smile? To pretend it meant more?

The words thrummed in her head, acting like tiny retro rockets to steer her in a new direction.  
It’s not meant to be.  
She doesn’t see you that way.  
This isn’t for you.  
She can’t even tell you who she is.

Lena leaves work early but rather than dive into a bottle of scotch she opts for some indulgent self care. Later, during a long massage at her favorite spa, Lena decides that she deserves a healthy, fulfilling home for that misplaced longing. Right now it just drives her crazy with constant reminders of a dream she let herself chase for too long. She wants something real in her life, something more than work, a relationship that goes deeper than lunch dates and lingering hugs. Something reciprocal. Someone. But you can’t just order that off a spa menu, can you?

She wonders if maybe she’s just one of those people who’s destined not to have that.  
She can’t risk going out and hooking up with someone like a normal 20-something. Besides, that might scratch the itch, but it wasn’t what she wanted.  
She could try dating in her own social stratum, but she knew those people, and … just, no.  
Even if she met someone she was interested in, could she even try for a real relationship when they would inevitably become subject to public scrutiny and criticism, or worse an easy target for her enemies?  
And who could she trust? That’s the question that makes her feel most hollow. After everything that had happened with Rhea, she’s understandably reticent to expose herself like that again. She can’t see a solution.

One evening, as she’s ostensibly reviewing safety test results for her labs’ radioactivity containment units, a memory tugs at the back of her brain. An unusual conversation on a night that was otherwise forgettable. 

Jack had talked her into going to a party a few years ago, an overly hip gathering that had taken over a skate park. Carnival lights illuminated the night as skaters launching into the air around them, the music was set to a volume where you could speak to someone next to you but not be overheard. It was populated with many of this coast’s most promising and hungry young entrepreneurs. Most of the party had been excruciatingly awkward for her, but she had one genuine conversation with a fascinating woman whose eyes looked like they could see into her most hidden depths, a conversation punctuated by the sound of polyurethane wheels on concrete and the slap of skate decks on iron rails.

I own an agency.  
_Rooosh, whack._  
We employ bright, open minded people for high-paying part-time work.  
_Rooosh, whack._  
Very discreet.  
Our own private investigator vets our applicants …  
… as well as potential clients, for my employees’ safety …  
… everything is consensual, of course …  
… it can be difficult for people in your position … without considerable risk … .  
Lena was handed a card. It was black with nothing but a number.  
_Whack._

Discreet, potentially intimate companions. Thoroughly vetted. Trustworthy. Interesting, intelligent, engaging. Making their own decisions about what they would do or not do with clients. “Complete agency” is what the woman, Kai, had said.  
It’s not exactly what Lena wants. But it may be what she can have. And with that kind of arrangement she could just end it, as she would any business transaction, if she needed to. If the impossible happened. If Kara ever felt the same way. If Kara ever really let her in.

When Lena arrives at her penthouse that evening she knows exactly where to find the card from a night that seems like a lifetime ago. She pulls it from the Black Raku tea bowl on her bookcase and makes a call.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena has a realization and we meet the home-version of Jess. Who do you think buys her groceries and takes care of her wardrobe?

LENA’S DISCOVERY

_A year and a half ago …_

She had learned long ago to pay attention to the subtle prompts in the back of her brain. They were usually solutions, sometimes to problems she wasn’t aware existed. They came in moments when she wasn’t actively working on a solution. They came when she was reading a book about twelfth century France or a report on material design that the lab had sent up. They came when she was in her wardrobe, relieved to be out of restrictive business attire and slipping into soft warm fabrics that helped push her day behind her. And it wasn’t long at all into her acquaintance with Kara Danvers before she felt this one and paused to take a pay attention.

It was just before the fundraiser gala. She had been frustrated with the black body field generator all day, but she needed to go to the penthouse to change and get ready. She could have had Robert bring her dress and makeup to L-Corp, but she really wanted to step away and set aside the modulation problem for a bit, and having Robert help her get ready in the quiet of her home always did wonders to revive her for an evening event. His reassuring, quiet presence was just what she needed.

She was wondering what Kara might wear tonight as she felt the cool, wet sensation of Robert painting eyeliner across her lids and recognized that familiar mental tug. She thought it might be the solution to the modulation. But it wasn’t. It was a series of images, as if on loop, of Kara, her date/not-date for the evening, and Supergirl on the occasions when Lena had seen her up close, first when she rescued her helicopter and again, more recently, when Supergirl tried to talk her out of having the event, which had ended kind of oddly. The particular shades and texture of her hair. The furrow of her brow. The scar. The vivid blue of … 

Lena’s eyes flew open, and Robert made a small squeak. 

“Sorry!” Lena said. “I just realized something … ”  
Robert merely let out a calming breath through his nose. He looked at her as if he expected her to share her epiphany.  
“Did I mess it up?” Lena asked, closing her eyes again, knowing that Robert would have to redo a lot of work if her sudden movement had marred his finishing touches.  
“No, ma’am,” he said with a small smile, and his use of ma’am, which he knew she hated, his only retribution for her impulse. “Let’s be thankful for quick drying formulas.”  
Lena’s shoulders relaxed in relief only to tense again once she realized what her ever hardworking brain had latched onto. Kara was Supergirl. It was easy to see if you had spent any time with both of them. Lena hadn’t spent much time with Supergirl, but she’d been building a friendship with Kara, and embarrassingly enough she had started to develop a bit of a crush on the woman. Both were coming to her gala tonight. Along with everything else she needed to be on top of this evening she supposed it would be a good opportunity to be sure, though she really had no doubt.  
“Yes, most definitely,” Lena agreed, reaching for her glass of water for a last sip before the lipstick went on.  
“Will Ms. Danvers be joining you here after the gala?”  
It was only years of training in the Luthor household that kept Lena from pulling water violently up through her sinus cavity. Robert did have his vengeful side.  
“I suppose there is a remote possibility, but I doubt it. You don’t need to do anything special. But thank you for thinking of me,” she replied and winked at him. Badly. “Do keep your phone on in case of an emergency at the gala, though. You know how things go sideways sometimes.”  
“Of course, Lena,” he said, and Lena supposed she was forgiven now. “Moderate chance of explosions and mayhem?” Robert was glib, but it was his way of coping with her all too frequent near-misses with death.  
“Mmmm, I’d go with severe, but don’t worry. I’m prepared,” Lena said as she stood while Robert whisked away the protective cape that was only shielding a v-neck t-shirt that she wore for this part of the process. He was meticulous that way, though.  
She would put on her form-fitting dress just before her car arrived, but for now she wanted to see what the Internet had to offer in the way of photos of Supergirl.  
The CatCo Magazine cover was still the best, even though it was from last year. Seems the Girl of Steel would happily say hi when she came in contact with civilians, but didn’t stay for selfies.  
Still, it was so obvious, and something Lena couldn’t unsee now.  
Unfortunately, this unexpected revelation was poorly timed. She had enough to deal with at tonight’s gala, so Lena did something she was very good at. She compartmentalized. Tonight she needed Kara there as her friend and for Supergirl to just be Supergirl, protecting her guests if anything went wrong with Lena’s plan of action. She would think about Kara’s double life later.

Robert, for his part, did what he did best, which was staying practically invisible until it was time to go and then coughing softly to pull Lena away from her laptop and gently helping her into her dress while preserving her perfect hair and makeup and providing a shoulder to support her as she slipped on her heels.

It turned out to be a difficult night. Not so much because of the thugs with alien guns. It was rather fun to disrupt their plans so well. But difficult to suppress her incredulity when Kara said, “Golly,” and pretended she wasn’t Supergirl. 

Once Lena knows, she keeps thinking about the power that Kara possesses.  
Some the first feats of super power she personally witnessed had shaken her. Seeing the small frame of an alien who looked so human catch the corner of a building, take a hit from a missile, withstand the impact of the glass, concrete, and stainless steel of the L-Corp logo.  
It shouldn’t be possible. It made her understand more clearly than ever before Lex’s obsession with Superman. Once you saw it happen, that miraculous unbelievable power right in front of you, you couldn’t let it go.  
The foundation of everything she believed in, physics and the natural state of the elements, molecular behavior, what living flesh should be able to withstand … it was all shown to be wrong. Or incomplete. It didn’t apply anymore, and it was hard to handle.  
So of course, at first, it was no surprise that when a shy, uncertain, stuttering reporter caught her attention it never occurred to her to connect the young professional and a godlike Super.  
Until she did.  
At first it took a tremendous amount of trust to exchange a casual touch with Kara.  
All that strength and power. She must have to temper it constantly just to appear human, hold a pencil, pour a glass of water, push at the frames of her glasses without snapping them.  
Lena knew she couldn’t begin to fathom how much Kara must hold back nearly every second of the day. Yet she made it looked effortless.  
How much trust would it take to submit to that kind of power? And … she’s not sure where that thought came from exactly. 

It’s hard not to stare when she’s with Kara, and there are times when she’s tempted to go into Lex’s files to learn more about Kara and Krypton, her background and powers. But she thinks of how she would feel if someone dug into her life like that, and her family, without her knowledge or consent, someone who professed to be a friend, and she decides it would be better to leave those files where they lay, in a secure vault.

Then there was the time she got truly angry. When Kara and then Supergirl have the gall to come to her office in the same day, first digging for information about her mother under the guise of some ridiculous article, and when that didn’t pan out, showing up as Supergirl to give her a fucking motivational speech?  
She was so angry it almost didn’t register when Supergirl revealed that Lillian had captured and tortured her. Later, when Lena had had time to cool down, she saw beyond the invulnerability. She saw an individual who could be hurt. Hurt terribly by Lillian. And it touched her.  
But at the time … She didn’t need a fake friend or a two-faced hero to take care of the problem. She knew how Lillian operated, and she couldn’t let someone who was such a terrible liar in on her plans. So she did it alone. And she won. Aliens saved. Lillian in jail.  
But at the end of the night it felt hollow. And she was still alone. And all she really wanted was someone to be there for her and tell her she had done the right thing. She wished it was Kara. The anger eased off, but her guard stayed up.  
When Kara did get in touch again, showing up one day with coffee right when Lena needed a break, as if nothing huge had transpired and not digging for information this time, it felt like something a real friend would do.  
And one day not long after that they were having lunch together on the breezy outdoor patio at CatCo when Lena tossed off a wry comment about a celebrity, and Kara laughed so hard she snorted. And it was just so … so unquestionably genuine … that Lena let her guard down again. And she thought, maybe a superhero needs a friend who doesn’t treat her like a superhero as much as I need a friend who doesn’t treat me like a Luthor. 

After that it felt more natural to treat Kara and Supergirl as if they were two different people and ignore the anomalies that would prove otherwise, letting slide the worst possible excuses for having to rush to a crisis or the way Kara could get take-out in an unrealistically short amount of time. She let go of the fear that Kara could crush her with a hug and accepted them eagerly.

Lena tried, a couple times, to give Kara the easiest of openings to come out. After she saved Lena from a plummet off her own office balcony and took out the men who’d shoved her, she asked how Kara had been there to save her. Kara’s answer had been so ludicrous Lena felt bad for making her think up something on the spot when she should have been thanking her for saving her life. She changed the subject and quickly gave Kara the information she needed. 

After the poisoning Lena told her she’d dreamt of them flying. Kara laughed and dismissed it as if it were ridiculous. As if telling Lena she had been poisoned and that the paramedics just gave her an antidote and left her at the office wasn’t ridiculous. It was … frustrating … disheartening … and later, after she had had a bit of a breakdown in her office at L-Corp, it was ultimately the tipping point that made Lena decide she should move on. 

She was in love with her best friend, who happened to be an alien. But there was no way to try for anything more meaningful until her friend decided to tell her. Even just about being an alien. She didn’t have to come out as Supergirl as far as Lena was concerned. Lena had given her every chance, every encouragement, every hint she could. It wasn’t going to happen. And it broke her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena goes to the agency. Supergirl is going through some things. We meet Rey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably going to post a few (or several) more chapters through this weekend and then spread it out to twice a week.

THE AGENCY

In the lobby of a tony loft complex full of high-end boutiques, galleries, and professional offices, Kai Danira greets Lena with a hug like an old friend, happy to see her, and somehow Lena feels immediately at ease, like this was a good decision. They take the elevator to an upper floor and an unmarked door that Kai unlocks with a combination of voice recognition and her palm on a pad of textured glass. Inside Lena finds the space elegant yet as warm and comfortable as Kai’s greeting. 

Kai motions for Lena to take a seat and levels a gaze at her in a way that says business has begun.  
“If you had any preconceived notions about how the services of this agency work based on sex worker stereotypes in movies or the like, it will make things much simpler if you throw them all out the fucking window where they belong,” Kai begins. The salty language and her warm West Indian accent seems to ease the mood with levity yet still underscores her sincerity.  
“The people who work for me are like any other professional,” she continues. “Their time is valuable. They have lives. They have agency. They are not at your beck and call. Do not be the rich asshole who forgets that, Lena.”  
“Of course,” Lena nods and listens.  
“You can request their time, and they will do their best to oblige. Please try to be accurate about how much time you would like to reserve so that they can plan accordingly.  
“Your contract stipulates that an agent can cancel or end a date at any time for any reason, no explanation required. And there is no obligation for them to engage in anything sexual, intimate or otherwise with you. Do you understand?” 

“Yes,” Lena affirms. She likes this arrangement because there’s mutual consent, but a question is forming in her head. Kai answers it before Lena can ask.

“What you are paying my agency for, Lena, and I guarantee it is worth your investment, is to enjoy the company of someone who can assure discretion and who will be understanding if you choose to make special arrangements to keep things out of the public eye. They won’t ask anything of you beyond what you have agreed to in your contract. No favors, no gifts, no power, no blackmail. You will find any one of them engaging, empathetic, confident, witty, and worthy of your time.  
“Further, both parties will agree to our standards of testing and disclosure. This is very detailed, so we’ll set up a session for you to speak with our counselor at the same time as your visit to our private clinic.”  
Lena’s eyes widen. “Counselor? I mean, I understand getting tested, but …”  
“You would be surprised at how uninformed people can be, Lena. What we call counseling is basically an educational training session for my clients to ensure that when they meet with an agent, if things go a certain way, both parties are negotiating safer sex using the same definitions and terms with clear understanding.”  
Kai smiles, reassuring Lena, and drops into a less formal tone, “I know that sounds crazy intimidating, Lena. But you may also be surprised at how liberating it feels to speak openly with someone. My counselor is exceedingly good at her job, and clients often report they rather had fun with this part.  
“Trust me,” Kai continues, “Among all the lengths we go to to ensure your safety and privacy, this session is usually what assures my clients that they can proceed without worry and enjoy themselves.”  
Lena refocuses her mind, reining in anxieties about having such a candid talk with a stranger.  
She has has questions. About the process, about security, about the contract. How does Kai recruit her agents? What’s involved in the vetting process? How will she herself be investigated? Her software security questions go beyond Kai’s personal ability to answer, so they have a short conference call with the agency’s security specialist. Eventually Lena is satisfied that Kai has built a resource that could work for her.  
Their conversation returns to the agreement that Lena will sign. There are as many provisions in it holding Lena accountable for her interactions with and responsibility toward any agent for their protection as there are to protect clients.  
As Kai finishes this last segment of the meeting, her voice takes on a grave, almost ominous tone.  
“And finally, let me emphasize this,” Kai says, and Lena feels as if someone was slipping a light tether around her mind as Kai’s gaze burns into her own. “If you violate this agreement, I will know.”  
Lena knows somehow, with no uncertainty, that this was the truth.  
As she leaves the building she shakes off the feeling that someone else has been in her head. Though she would expect something like that to feel intrusive and frightening, she feels reassured instead. Still, she’s wary. She hopes she isn’t making a mistake.  
_____

One thing that Kai prided herself on was knowing what people needed to be happy. It usually wasn’t what they thought it was, but something much more simple. Often they stood in their own way, not knowing it was one of their own choices that was making them unhappy, and that they could simply make a different choice.

Lena Luthor, on the other hand, wouldn’t have a simple solution. Even though Kai could see what Lena needed on a basic level, how to get there without creating other problems or upsetting the delicate balance where Lena had erected a fierce persona to protect an undernourished image of herself. 

And there was so much Lena hadn’t told her. Kai could see it all, plain as day, swirling around in Lena’s thoughts like a tempest in a test tube. Sure, Kai didn’t know specifically what it was, but there was an emotional tiger Lena wrestled with that kept her in knots.

Lena had left insisting she was perfectly capable of choosing a companion to date. And she was. Kai was happy to let her do just that, and anyone on the Agency payroll would be fine. But what Lena Luthor needed wasn’t a date. 

Kai had an idea, but she didn’t like it. It went outside of what the agency did. It was reckless in a way that Kai had always made it a personal rule never to be. Still, with every different way she approached this case, the same person came to mind. The problem was, that person didn’t work for Kai. Not yet, anyway.  
_____

Kara Zor-El shot across the sky, seeking to use speed to burn off the anger and disgust she was feeling, hoping the brutal resistance of the air would scrub it from her skin.  
It was wrong. So wrong.  
She had sat through one of Coville’s cult meetings and listened to him misusing the teachings of Rao, twisting them to his own purposes, confusing innocent people who she had saved. Treating her like a god. It made her so angry.  
She went higher, faster, breaking the sound barrier once she was over the desert. Screaming out her frustration.  
How could she stop him? How? He was a human. She couldn’t beat the crap out of him like she wanted to. She couldn’t send the DEO after him, it wasn’t their jurisdiction. She couldn’t talk sense into him, she had tried.  
Why was he so obsessed? He acted like it was all for her, but it was anything but. She didn’t want this.  
It was about him. If, as he said, she brought meaning to his life, now he was trying to center himself and take advantage of vulnerable people who had had terrifying experiences, manipulate them into following his cult.  
She shuddered and tried to shake off the disturbing feeling that clung to her.  
It bothered her. It got under her skin and ate at her core. The teachings of Rao had always been such a comfort. The meditations had been a part of her life long ago. And she had let them fall to the wayside while she tried to be human and fit in, until she didn’t feel the presence of Rao the way she had when she was a girl.  
She slowed and hovered in place, feeling the earth’s sun warm her skin and energize her. She needed that grounding. That centering again. She thought of her life here. She thought of Alex, and Lena, and J’onn, and how they made her feel most herself and yet each relationship had its own complications. Especially Lena, the only friend she had left who treated her like a person and not like a superhero. Having Lena in her life was a gift, but it was also the one relationship that made her feel like a fraud and not a very good person.  
She needed to come back into Rao’s light. To find her way back to who she really was and not who she pretended to be.  
____

“I can’t believe that girl dumped you, Rey. She’s a fool,” Kai said, observing one of her best friends and feeling that Rey still hasn’t regained the light they used to have in their happier days.  
Rey was helping plate their dinner in Kai’s beautiful kitchen. The air was warm with the scent of spices, steam rising gently from the rice bowls, and the sprouts were so crisp and fresh Rey had eaten handfuls already.  
“Let it go, Kai. That was six months ago.” Rey paused before admitting something for the first time, “And it wasn’t one-sided.” They sat, allowing for the food to cool. “When she took that job in Central, I knew long distance would be a problem. I wanted to be able to see other people. She knew I was poly when we got together, and it, airquote, _wasn’t a problem_ until I wanted to actually be poly.”  
“Do me a favor,” Kai reached over to another chair and into her bag, pulling out a card and handing it to Rey. “Make an appointment. Go get tested. It’s on the agency. You don’t have to say yes to the rest now. Just do it. If you decide yes, I don’t want to have to delay longer to wait for your results.”  
Rey examined the card for only a moment. “What the fuck? This is that high-tech clinic your company uses, isn’t it?”  
“Rey, I may have a solution to a lot of your problems and possibly a very special one that may be headed my way. It’s an opportunity.”  
_It’s an opportunity_ was one of Kai’s favorite expressions, and Rey had heard it many times. Granted, most of those opportunities paid off. But this?  
“I have a job I love already. No.”  
“I’ll need you to sign some paperwork, too. I guarantee discretion. If you reveal the identity of a client, friend or no friend, I will sue you so hard it will follow you into your next three lifetimes.”  
“What part of no wasn’t super clear just then?” Rey asked.  
“Trust me. You can always say no.” Kai took a lime and squeezed the juice over her bowl.  
“I just said no.”  
“Just get tested, sign the papers. You’ll be a contractor, not an employee,” she said, taking a healthy bite.  
“No.” Rey tried folding their arms to show Kai they meant it.  
Kai just smiled as she chewed and swallowed, light dancing in her eyes.  
“And then I will tell you about the client. And then you can say no, if you still want to. But you won’t.”  
“Kai, you know I respect what you do and everyone who works for you. I just don’t think it’s for me—sex for money.”  
Kai leveled her eyes at Rey and gave them that look that always made them feel like their inner self was being opened up for truth inspection. “That’s not the service we provide.”  
“I’m not being judgy,” Rey defended.  
“Test. Signature. Trust.”  
____

When Rey got home they walked through the living area and said hi to Jules, their roommate, who was reading and listening to something on headphones. Jules waved and trilled a greeting back without looking up from her book. Rey changed clothes and hit their workout room.  
Though they have a natural strength that was more than most, they had to train to keep their strength up. Training helped Rey stay focused and cleared their mind. It was like meditation.  
They grabbed the jump rope and and started to warm up, concentrating on the rhythm of the rope and rise of heartbeat, breathing controlled, moving into crossovers and side-to-sides. They progressed to their resistance and strength program, putting the special high-density plates on the bar.  
By the end of the session they were sweating heavily and turned on the fan in the corner while they moved slowly through some yoga poses and stretches.  
That’s when the thoughts came back, a little more orderly, a little easier to handle.  
Rey considered what Kai was asking them to do. It really was kind of like just going on a date. The only thing they had to do was be a decent person and respect that the other person needed privacy, and possibly secrecy, due to who they were. It’s the who they were part that gave them pause.  
Rey had never gotten along with people who were rich and powerful. Not that they knew many rich and powerful people personally, but in Rey’s experience, power made people mean. Made them feel like they could push folks around. Get whatever they wanted.  
On the other hand, that’s not what Kai was about, so Rey knew she wouldn’t be pushing them into an uncomfortable situation with some rich jerk.  
Kai had always been there for Rey, especially in times when their mother and sister didn’t understand what it was like to be so different.  
They mulled over these thoughts as they moved through salutations and on into their shower. By the time they said goodnight to Jules and settled into bed, they knew they would set up an appointment with Kai’s clinic.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena tries dating. Kai persuades Rey. Lena has _the talk_ with Kara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've shortened the number of total chapters estimated because I'm posting clumps of what I had counted as three or four chapters as one instead. It flows better that way, and you get a nice long chapter.

LENA TRIES DATING

Lena has gone on two dates. For each she’d been given the address of an Agency-owned residential property where she would meet the agent, and they could go out or stay in, but it maintained privacy for both parties. 

They were each lovely women who she’d chosen from the agency’s portfolio. She based her decisions on their personally written descriptions, and, well … looks. Her first choice had a muscular, lean build, blonde hair and blue eyes. That was a mistake.  
After an evening out together they kissed, and Valerie, the agent, was willing and ready to do more, but it just felt wrong. Not wrong exactly. But not right. It felt a bit creepy to Lena in retrospect, choosing someone who looked vaguely like Kara, and she wasn’t going down that path again.

Her next choice, Mae, was an engineering nerd like herself, but when they met Mae had a small confession. She was planning to submit a project proposal to L-Corp once she finished her next degree. Mae explained that at first she thought perhaps it wouldn’t be an issue to go on a date. Even if the company was interested in her work, it’s not like Lena Luthor herself would be interviewing her, and she wouldn’t be working with executives.  
But the potential conflict of interest kept nagging at her, and once she opened the door and saw Lena’s smiling but genuinely nervous face, saw her as a woman her own age or perhaps younger with her own insecurities and vulnerabilities, she couldn’t ignore it. Mae invited Lena inside to talk, apologizing for wasting her time and assuring her that there wouldn’t be a charge. 

Lena asked Mae if she’d like to go to dinner anyway, and they ended up having some of the most engaging discussions Lena could remember having in a long time. Lena savored an evening with someone she could relate to without any anxiety over what might happen later. And she was pretty sure she had just recruited an incredibly bright mind to her company.  
At the end of the evening, after inviting Mae to get in touch when she was ready to enter the professional world, Lena felt compelled to say one last thing. As she took a breath to speak, Mae said gently, “I work for The Agency, Ms. Luthor,” saving her from tainting the evening with a threat. “You have nothing to worry about. It was a pleasure meeting you,” Mae paused and gave the slightest of winks, “at the Women in STEM Conference where you were a panel guest.”  
“Good night, Mae,” Lena said, smiling. She wouldn’t forget her. 

Lena knew then that when she talked to Kai again, she would relent and let the agency owner choose someone for her, as she’d been advised in the first place.  
____

As soon as the loft office door closed, Lena flopped onto Kai’s couch, not bothering with the reserved, collected, all-professional veneer she had put on the first time.  
“You were right. I obviously don’t know what I’m doing.”  
“Why don’t you tell me the real reason you came here this time,” Kai said gently, letting the rhythm of her accent fall in to coax her new friend to the truth.  
“I fell in love with my best friend.”  
“And?”  
“It’s never going to go … it won’t ever be more than that.”  
“What makes you so sure?”  
Lena sat straighter and looked down at her folded hands, tugging at each other in a nervous habit as she considered how much was safe to say. There was something about Kai that Lena felt she can trust. Of course, she had completely been fucked by her own instincts there before. She decided she could be open, but would insist on absolute discretion when it came to any information about the object of her affection.  
“What I say next has to remain in this room. You cannot share it with your associates, with your investigator, with no one, no matter how trusted,” Lena said.  
“Of course,” Kai said. But when Lena didn’t speak, didn’t break eye contact, Kai added, “I swear that what you tell me now will not leave this room.” Lena felt that same odd tug in her mind she felt when Kai spoke to her about breaking the agreement.  
Lena relaxed into the chair, her eyes falling to her lap as she prepared to admit something she’d never said aloud to anyone.  
“We’ve been friends for over a year now. Close friends. She’s literally saved my life. I’ve saved hers. But she’s an alien …”  
Lena paused long enough that Kai internally started to bristle, preparing her response if Lena was about to imply there was anything wrong with that.  
“… and she still hasn’t come out to me about that,” Lena said, and Kai took in this information with a bit of relief. “And I just can’t help but be a little hurt that she doesn’t trust me. In my head I know it’s probably not about me, but it still hurts.  
“I’ve done everything I can to try to show her it wouldn’t matter to me. That I fully support equal rights for aliens. And I’ve flirted shamelessly.”  
Lena put her head in her hands.  
“You’re sure she’s an alien?”  
“Yes,” Lena said and met Kai’s eyes, tilting her head and letting a wry twist of lips say what she can’t. “A rather high-profile one.”  
That surprised Kai. She can only think of a few publicly out-there aliens, and only one who fit this scenario and who must also be wandering around in a secret identity, plus the detail about life saving made it a certainty.  
“You don’t do anything in half measures, do you, Ms. Luthor?”  
“No. That’s me,” Lena said with a sad laugh. “Go big or get assassinated trying.”  
“Oh,” Kai replied simply, thinking over what she knew of Lena’s recent and more distant past. She continued with a more positive tone, “I see what you mean about perhaps there being barriers to dating. And you’re right that it’s probably not about you, Lena. It’s likely she has a lot of restrictions she puts on herself. Or from certain folks who are so attached to wearing non-fashionable black.” Kai paused in thought for a moment before going on.  
“I suggest you tell her how you feel and at least see how that goes. I do have someone I’d like you to meet, but I want you to be sure,” Kai said.  
Just the thought of telling Kara how she feels gripped Lena’s heart and twisted it in a knot. But it was time. “You’re right. I’ve been too afraid to do it before now. I suppose I owe it to both of us to put it out in the open.”  
“And while we’re on that topic of being sure,” Kai said, “In our interview you said you’re bisexual with a strong preference for women. How do you feel about people whose gender is non-binary?”  
Kai watched as Lena appeared to be searching her brain’s data banks and coming up empty.  
“I’m sure L-Corp has Google, Ms. Luthor. Get back to me on that.”  
“There is one other thing I’d like to ask, Kai,” Lena said.  
“Please.”  
“I keep feeling something when we meet,” Lena said, letting the implication stay vague. She had a strong suspicion that Kai wasn’t human, but that really wasn’t any of her business. But she also suspected Kai may have an ability to read people. “Is there anything you’re picking up on that I should be aware of? You know, anything that is staring me in the face but I’m not getting … I’m not the best at …”  
“Lena, I’m not your therapist,” Kai interrupted Lena’s anxious ramble. “Or your magical sage. But I can see you’re torn. And I can see you take on guilt you don’t deserve. Feel free to let that go any time.”  
“So back then, at the party …”  
“All I could tell was that you might need me someday.”  
“You didn’t give your card to everyone, did you?” Lena says.  
“Hell, nah. That party was full of douchebags.”  
___

Rey: Ok. I went.  
Kai: You want to talk now?  
Rey: I’m willing to listen.  
Kai: Come by tonight?  
Rey: Yeah. 8:30 ok?  
Kai: Yah, boo. Love you  
Rey: lyt

Normally Kai would not conduct business this way, but Rey was like a sibling to her and a lifelong friend. And this arrangement would be unlike any other she had done before.

That evening, as they sat on Kai’s couch, Kai explained to Rey what she expected of the people who represent the agency.  
“Rey, this isn’t you exchanging sex for money. There’s nothing wrong with that, but rich people can get that anywhere. It’s not uncommon. What I offer is. I offer to set a client up with someone who is completely trustworthy and who will not pressure them for anything, ask for anything, and who will never reveal that they are a paid companion. To you, I promise that the person I want to introduce you to is someone whose company you will enjoy, and who will appreciate you for who you are,” Kai told them.  
“Will they know about me?” Rey asked.  
“Just what you put in your profile. Beyond that is completely up to you. If you want to sleep with them, up to you. If you don’t, up to you. All you need to do is never betray their trust. Ever.”  
“What if I find out they’re doing something terrible, something morally unconscionable?” Rey thought they might have found some wiggle room.  
“Would I put you with someone like that?” Kai asked. “Anyway, if that happens, which it won’t, you tell me, and I’ll deal with it.”  
Rey was still unsure. They just couldn’t imagine who Kai was so eager for them to go out with. The curiosity was one thing tipping them toward saying yes.  
“Rey, I know you’ve just gotten your work to be sustainable, and I’m so proud of you. But this extra income could get you some security. You could put away an emergency fund. Maybe even provide some extras for the people you help.”  
Kai knew Rey’s weak spot. Rey didn’t need a lot of money to get along. But there were always more people to help, and the more Rey could help them become independent, the better chance they had of making it on this planet.  
“Ok. I’ll do this.”  
____

An employee let Kara in through a side door adjacent to the main gate, and she walked through the deserted lobby, past the gift store, and out into the National City Botanical Gardens. Lena didn’t say where to meet her specifically, so Kara tuned in her hearing just enough to pick up footsteps pacing on a gravel path to the left, where she could also hear the gentle splash of water.  
As Kara stepped through a living willow arch she found Lena, still now, with her back turned, head down, and hands clasped behind her back, staring at a fountain pool. She was more casually dressed, in jeans and a short wool jacket, than perhaps Kara had ever seen her outside of their movie nights, but still managed to look stylish. Kara was willing to bet Lena’s simple leather ankle boots were handmade and soft as butter.  
“Lena?”  
Lena’s body straightened and she pivoted to face her friend.  
“Kara! I was just about to head to the gate to wait for you. I’m glad you found me!”  
“I heard the fountain, so I thought you might be here. It’s beautiful.”  
“Yes. I love watching the koi, but I don’t make time to come here often enough.”  
“Should I ask how you got access before they open?” Kara teased.  
“Probably not,” Lena responded, adding with a grin and mock lift of her eyebrow, “You know, the usual, threats and intimidation, Luthor-style.” Lena ended with a shrug of one shoulder as if that were her modus operandi rather than extravagant philanthropy.  
Kara laughed and walked up to stand beside Lena and look into the pond below the fountain. Dozens of large fish with brilliant orange, white and red patches wove around each other and the lush water plants, some breaching the surface with fins, backs and mouths. She was instantly mesmerized.  
“Wow,” gasped Kara, taken with the scene. “I love this.”  
Lena reached to her and quietly took Kara’s hand. It was so good to feel that comfortable touch. Even if it might not last. After long minutes watching the fish, Lena took a breath and let go of Kara’s hand, slowly walking around the curve of the pond. When she turned she saw that she had Kara’s full attention.  
“Kara, I want to let you know that our friendship is dear to me. You’re the best, the closest friend I’ve ever had. And I hope that this won’t change that.”  
A look of worry swept over Kara’s face, but it was quickly followed by an encouragement.  
“Lena, I don’t think anything you could say would change how I feel about you,” Kara said, smiling softly and trying to reassure Lena about whatever was making her so hesitant and wound so tight.  
Lena laughed.  
“Well, we’ll see then, I guess,” Lena said, taking a big breath and looking down at the water’s reflective surface. “Kara, over time I’ve realized that I feel more for you than just friendship.” She paused to give it a moment to settle in Kara’s mind before she looked up again.  
Lena observed as Kara’s brow crinkled for an instant before her eyes opened wider and her lips pursed. Time to press on.  
“I’m extremely attracted to you, and I care for you in a way that goes beyond being friends.” Another deep breath. Here we go. “I … I love you, and I just needed to let you know … so that you know how I feel. In case you ever felt … something more.” Lena actually felt an incredible amount of relief. No matter what happened now, it was out there, and she didn’t have to live under the weight of it being unspoken any more.  
Kara didn’t say anything for such a long moment that Lena couldn’t stand to let the silence keep going. She might feel relieved but Kara seemed to be in a bit of shock, so it might take a while before she could wrap her head around it. She probably needed time. Not Lena hovering around waiting for a response.  
“Ok, so that’s all I wanted to say, and I guess I’ll be heading to the office now. If you want to stroll around and enjoy the garden it doesn’t open for another hour and you have the place all to …”  
“Lena, stop.” Kara laid a hand on Lena’s arm. “I don’t know what to tell you right now. I’m surprised. I guess I shouldn’t be. This keeps happening.”  
Lena wondered what exactly kept happening. Kara continued, dropping her hand and beginning to pace.  
“I guess I’m just not in a place where my mind, my heart, is working in that direction. So much has happened, and I …” Lena could tell Kara was sifting through information, trying to find what she could say without revealing anything about what she’d gone through as Supergirl, only speaking of what she’d been through as Kara, and there wasn’t as much to draw on there.  
Lena sat on the brick ledge edging the pond and tried to relax, tried to give Kara room and to silently convey that she was safe to reveal herself. She centered herself around the love she felt for her friend.  
“Kara. I feel like there’s a lot going on you haven’t been able to talk with me about. And that’s ok. But if you ever want to talk about it, you can tell me anything. I won’t judge. You certainly know about practically all the skeletons in my closet.  
“And I don’t want to pressure you either. When you’re ready. I’m here. And … what I said about the attraction. I can see that you’re not … I want you to know that I’m not going to pursue that.”  
Kara smiled in relief and Lena’s heart broke a little more.  
Lena stood and decided to give covering it with humor a try, letting the Irish lilt come out in her voice.  
“I hope it’s okay if I still flirt a little, though. It’s so fun to make you blush, and it’s sort of my favorite hobby now. Though of course I’ll stop if it makes you uncomfortable.” Lena smiled wide with affection but kept her distance. That wasn’t how Kara did things, though, and she launched her body at Lena’s to embrace her and hold her tight. Lena wrapped her arms around her friend and tried to hold back the hot tears that came in a rush.  
“I love you, Lena. Thank you for understanding. For really being my friend and for being honest and sharing your feelings and not making me feel pressured. I really need you as my friend right now.”  
“I am,” Lena said. “I always will be.”  
____

They had managed to laugh and cry, then stop crying, and then walked around the gardens for a little bit. Kara could tell Lena still felt uncomfortable, though, so she made an excuse to go so that Lena would be free to leave, too.

Her chest was tight with the sadness that came from knowing she had hurt the friend she cared about most in this world. By not returning her affection in the same way. And in the depths of her heart she thought that maybe one day she could feel the same way. But she couldn’t lie to Lena. There was too much weighing on her right now. Too much clouding her mind and her heart. Her emotions seemed to vacillate between anger and numbness. And guilt.  
She had felt off, detached, starting after Lena had saved Supergirl from the nanobots, which resulted in Jack’s death. She felt duplicitous enough after that, but then Lillian said the words that prodded Kara’s greatest fear, and that had been eating at her.  
Lena was still a comfort to her, she needed her. But now she felt nothing as strong as she felt the big lie between them that dangled like a sword over her head. 

Lena deserved better than what Kara had to give right now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> See the note at the beginning of the chapter for a content warning. This chapter starts with a harsh scene but ends in a lovely date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: This first part includes a description of graphic violence and death of a major character in a dream. If you need to skip it, just scroll or page to the first dividing line. You won't miss any crucial plot points.

When Lena opened her eyes she could feel her heart pounding. Cold concrete beneath her. Searing pain at the back of her skull. She’d been hit. Or fallen.  
She looked down at herself. She was in that awful black dress that made her feel like a porn version of Morticia Addams.  
She sat up and looked around. It was another one of Lex’s hideaways.  
She heard screams of pain.  
She rolled to her knees and got up, gathering the ridiculous pooling skirt of the dress and running toward the sound, stumbling, her bare feet slapping the concrete.

In a far room she found her mother standing over Supergirl in chains. Not Supergirl. Kara, in her patterned navy button down and slacks. Her glasses askew. Oh, god, screaming and writhing.  
“Mother, stop!”  
“What’s wrong, dear? She can take it. Can’t you Supergirl?” Her mother turned a dial on a crude device in her hands and Kara’s shrieks began anew. Lena felt frozen in place. Her limbs wouldn’t move.  
From behind her she heard a new voice, but a familiar one. “Everything will be all right, dear. You’re coming with me.”  
Rhea. Lena was able to turn to face her.  
“Go to hell, Rhea.”  
“Don’t be crass, darling,” Rhea said as if they were still friends, as if they ever had been. As if Rhea hadn’t betrayed Lena’s trust more cruelly than her mother ever had.  
“Your mother and I have made a mutually beneficial arrangement. We both want to be rid of this pesky Kryptonian, and I want you to be the next queen of Daxam.”  
“I won’t go with you and I’m not marrying your fucking son,” Lena spat.  
“Not to worry, we don’t need him. I have my heir, and yours, brewing in the lab now,” Rhea said in her smug way.  
“You can’t do that!” Lena said, lunging at Rhea only to feel a force holding her back and her energy drained.  
“I can and I have. I don’t need your consent, dear. Just a sample of your DNA,” Rhea said casually. “Mon-El was trying to stand in my way anyway. One thing you’ll learn as I train you to rule, never let a man stand in the way of the greater good.”  
Lena looked around, desperately searching for a weapon or a way out, some way to help Kara who was whimpering on the floor now.  
“Stop it, both of you!” Lena shouted. Suddenly there was a thick wall of glass between herself and the other women. She pounded on it with the heels of her hands, feeling the pain of each strike jolt through her wrists.  
There was nothing around her, just a void.  
The distance was increasing.  
She was being pulled further and further from Kara.  
Lillian turned to face her. “Don’t cause a scene, dear. It’s all over. Rhea gave me this device that brings Kryptonians to their knees,” she said, waving the crude box with a single knob. “She’s powerless now.”  
Time slowed as Lena watched her mother reach for the table next to her and pick up a powerful handgun. Without hesitation she fired five shots into the head and body of Kara Danvers. Lena screamed as she watched the murder of the woman she loved. She screamed and couldn’t stop screaming. Screamed as she couldn’t tear her eyes from the motionless body on the floor.  
Rhea, now beside her, gripped her shoulder with a cold skeletal hand and said, “We’re going to accomplish so much together, Lena.”

Lena opened her eyes with a gasp of breath.  
Her heart was hammering so fast she couldn’t begin to count the beats.  
A heavy weight sat on her chest.  
Fear paralyzed her. Sweat soaked the sheets clinging to her body.  
It was dark.  
She was in a dark room.  
She heaved in quick, shallow gasps.  
She couldn’t get enough air.  
She didn’t move.  
Couldn’t move for long minutes.  
… Nothing happened.  
Her eyes began to adjust and she could make out the dim light of the night slipping under her blackout curtains. A faint glow under her bathroom door from the tiny night light in there.  
She was in bed. In her apartment. Another fucking nightmare. Her body relaxed somewhat, and she breathed in deep. She consciously told her body to let go of its response to immediate danger. God, she hated the nightmares.  
_____

The lean young man was wearing bike shorts and a tight, short sleeved cycling jersey with a gold A in a circle on a field of black. His skin was a uniform dark brown that glistened, though he didn’t seem sweaty, and he wore wraparound shades. As Jess glared at him she also noted that he smelled very nice, like lemongrass and cranberry. She still wasn’t letting him in.

“You don’t have an appointment,” she told him.  
“It’s just a delivery,” he said.  
“Then leave it with me.”  
“I can’t. I have to wait for Ms. Luthor to return it and take it back,” he replied. He smiled a beautiful smile with gleaming white teeth. As if that would get him in. Jess huffed. Before she could buzz Ms. Luthor, Lena’s line lit up on her desk.  
“Yes, Ms. Luthor.”  
“Jess, there should be someone showing up for me shortly. It’s something I have to go over and send back. Can you send them in when they get here?”  
Jess glared harder at the man but got up and opened the door for him.  
She met Lena’s eyes as she said, “The courier is here,” and saw that Lena looked a little embarrassed, like she’s been caught at something.

The procedure was the same as the other two dates she’d selected, except this time Kai sent over a messenger with a tablet instead of having Lena look at the portfolio online. Lena went through the security steps to open the interface. There was just one profile.

The name listed is Rey.  
The photos weren’t taken in a studio. There’s one that’s outdoors, perhaps at a beachside wedding reception, and Rey is in a suit with a tie. Another is a professional headshot that looks as if Rey is about to break into laughter. And there’s a candid profile in black and white in which they have a solemn expression. It looks as if they were listening to someone and the other person has been cropped out.

Lena studied the images, wondering what made this person the one that Kai had selected specifically for her. Her … their, Lena reminded herself, complexion was a medium brown and their hair was shaved very short on the sides and back with trimmed edges and just an inch or so on top in a natural textured style. Their brows were full, naturally shaped with a slight angle near the outer tip. The eyes were striking, Lena noticed, a golden amber brown that almost seemed luminous. And their smile was quite charming, full of confidence, but also seemed a little bashful.

The profile wasn’t filled out like the others. The basic information was mostly self explanatory.  
Name: Rey  
Gender: non-binary  
Pronouns: they/them  
Orientation: Bisexual with a preference for women and NB  
Height: 5’6”  
Eyes: gold/brown  
Age: 32  
Arenas of Experience: Rabble rouser, shit stirrer, maker of problems for oppressors.

In the personality and interests area, some of the other answers were filled out hastily or skipped, and Lena wasn’t 100 percent sure it had been edited or even read by anyone. In particular one on food preferences: Kale yes, Velveeta no? wtf Kai, this is some bullshit

It made Lena laugh, though, and she signed off on the approval page.

In less than ten minutes Jess was watching the courier saunter to the elevator and certainly not getting distracted by his legs and ass.  
As soon as the elevator doors closed, Jess tapped on Lena’s door and let herself in. Lena looked up from her desk and stared at Jess as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Jess stared her down.  
“What?” Lena asked.  
“What was that about?” Jess asked in return.  
“I don’t know what you mean.”  
“I am aware of every appointment, meeting, and delivery that has anything to do with you. Except that one.” Jess crossed her arms over her chest and Lena knew she’d have to give some excuse.  
“Ok, look. I’m ordering something that’s sort of a ridiculous luxury item and I’m a little bit embarrassed about it, and it’s nothing to be concerned about.”  
“A luxury item that requires a courier to wait while you pick it out?”  
“It’s very exclusive. The ordering process is a little over-dramatic, sure, but it also ensures my privacy. Jess,” Lena said, arching a brow. “Pri-vah-ceee.”  
Jess got the point. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t ask Robert if he knew what this was about.  
_____

Rey was dressed in the nicest dressy casual outfit they had, pacing inside the Agency house. Kai had talked with them about the type of person Lena was and why she thought Rey would like her and forbade Rey from looking her up on the Internet.  
Of course that made Rey more curious, but they had learned a long time ago, the hard way, to listen to Kai when she was dead serious like that.  
Rey recalled what had Kai told them.  
_Lena is different. Don’t judge her before you meet her, Rey. I need you to relax. We’re skipping a lot of training that I give to the people who work for me, and I need you to trust me and chill and be yourself and treat Lena like you would any person you were interested in. She’s just a person. Give her a chance._  
So even though Rey had let go of some of the things that worried them about going out with someone who was obviously super rich and likely powerful—after all, they didn’t have to go to the Internet to recognize the Luthor name—they were still a little nervous in a first date kind of way.  
___

Hector pulled into the circular driveway of the agency house, a different one than the first two but still a cookie cutter design typical of the upper-class home style prominent in certain neighborhoods of National City. They all had insane square footage and elaborate landscaping, etcetera, but to Lena they didn’t really have any character. One blended into the next, which she supposed was the point when one was using them to host hookups for the super wealthy and slightly desperate. Like her.  
Hector opened the door for her then discreetly stepped around to the front of the car after he had closed it behind her while Lena climbed the front steps to the door. She saw the button for a bell but decided to tap with her knuckles first. If no one answered maybe it would be ok to flee, have Hector take her home, and make friends with a bottle of scotch instead.  
Just her luck, the door opened and a rather striking person opened the door. They wore a suit jacket the color of tarnished copper, and a tie over a crisp cream shirt with a light pattern.  
“Hi! I’m Rey,” they said, extending a hand.  
Lena bit back her nerves and called on every composure lesson she had ever had hammered into her to reply, “Hello. I’m Lena.”  
“Would you like to come in? There’s a bar set up in here. If you like. If not, that’s cool. I’m ready to head out. Whatever you’d like. I’m really not coming off as suave as I intended. So, sorry,” Rey said, laughing awkwardly … and Lena relaxed. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who felt a little out of place.  
“Thank you for the offer, but I’d love to go ahead and discover what this mysterious address Kai gave me is. Do you have any idea?”  
Rey smiled and stepped fully out onto the landing, closing the door behind them. “No, I really don’t, but I’m very curious, too. Let’s go see.” And Rey realized they were going to have a very difficult time tearing their eyes away from Lena’s as they stood facing each other.  
“Lead the way,” they said, and followed Lena to the car.  
___

They were swamped with thoughts on the short walk to the car and the drive to the address.  
Jesus. Kai had shown them a couple photos of Lena, and Rey knew she was beautiful, but holy fuck, the effect of meeting her in person scrambled Rey’s brains and they had sputtered out the dumbest shit. Fuck.  
They needed to get their shit together and act cool.  
There was a driver, but Rey got the door for Lena. She got in and slid across the bench seat so Rey used the same door instead of going around. It was a roomy town car and Rey complimented it before thinking about how that might make them look unsophisticated. Shit.  
Lena didn’t seem to notice, which was good.  
She wore a dark green dress and bold red lipstick that drew the eyes. Her energy was nervous, though she was trying to hide it with a confident casual attitude. Still, Rey could feel the presence of a cautious wall of defense around her.  
Rey thought again to the things Kai had told them.  
Imagine knowing that nearly everyone you interact with wants something from you, will try to manipulate you, wants to take from you. Would lie to you to get what they want.  
Start with something easy, Rey thought.  
“How was your day?” they asked.  
“Quite good, actually,” Lena said and smiled. “It’s usually a lot of oversight and paperwork just to stay on top of everything, but today I got to go down to the labs and assist with an important project we’ve been working on.”  
“That sounds fun,” Rey smiled. “Kai mentioned that you’re an engineer. What’s the project?”  
“Nothing I can talk about yet,” Lena said. “But it was complex enough to stave off first date anxiety.”  
Rey laughed as Lena looked down, perhaps having said more than she meant to.  
They continued their light conversation as the driver smoothly navigated to their destination.  
___

The address turned out to be a large older home in a residential neighborhood. When they stepped out of the car, Rey and Lena could see lights strung in the backyard and a well crafted sign hanging on an open gate, encouraging the night’s visitors to come through.

In the backyard they found ten small tables set out on thick area rugs laid over the grass, each far enough away from the others for privacy. A few tables had already been seated and servers were pouring wine. They were greeted by a young woman in slacks and a wispy shirt who welcomed them and showed them to a table, explaining along the way that the occasion was a pop-up restaurant with two local chefs cooking a variety of dishes. She pointed out menu cards on the table, saying they would be served all of the dishes on the cards and they could try whatever they liked and to ask servers if they wanted more of anything in particular.  
Lena and Rey sat down, each looking around to take in the unusual setting. They discussed the menu list and the musical trio on a deck that played instrumentals of popular tunes but with a more funky twist. They were quite good.  
“This is really lovely,” Lena said. “I’ve never been to anything like this.”  
“Me either,” said Rey. “I love this neighborhood, though. It’s one of the more historic areas of National City.”  
“Really?” said Lena. “I haven’t had a chance to get to know the history of National City since I moved here. Tell me more.”  
Rey told her about different areas of the city, where the working class had been allotted areas near factories and the homes that remained from that era were a distinct design, where warehouse districts had been gentrified, what types of businesses had lined the streets downtown where there were now towering glass skyscrapers.  
The evening moved smoothly as they ate and switched from one area of interest to another. Though Lena didn’t know much about the local area, she had a broad knowledge of more global topics and history. Rey ate a good portion of what was served to them, at first making an effort not to show just how big their appetite tended to be before realizing that Lena seemed to not even blink over it and, in fact, kept encouraging them to have more.  
It led them to face something that had been on their mind. That they had been struggling to decide how to handle.  
Rey realized that they felt very comfortable with Lena, and certainly attracted to her, and they knew that if things were going to progress from here they might as well broach the topic head-on. When the next opportunity came for a change of subject, they took a leap.  
“Lena, there’s no easy way to segue into this. So I think maybe it’s best to just be upfront about something.”  
Lena nodded as she leaned back, shoulders erect and a little more stiff than moments before, and said, “I can appreciate that. What is it?”  
Rey didn’t want her to feel she had to be defensive, so they smiled reassuringly and leaned in closer to Lena, beckoning her to move closer as well. Lena relaxed a little and leaned in.  
Rey spoke quietly. This was it. It would either be ok or it wouldn’t.  
“You should know up front that I’m an alien,” Rey said, then elaborated, “Well, I’m half human, but the other half is Ledaei, a race that has been on Earth for a while.”  
Lena sat up, her eyes widened and tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.  
“What?” she asked.  
“I’m half alien,” Rey said quietly, careful to be sure no one else was nearby.  
“No, I got that part,” Lena said, confusion on her face. “But … you’re just telling me? You just met me. Did Kai tell you my last name?”  
Rey stiffened a little, “Yes.” Rey didn’t know much about Lena, but every alien in the city knew about Lex and Lillian Luthor and their anti-alien stance. “She said that this wouldn’t be a problem for you. Did she get that wrong?”  
Lena rushed to reassure them.  
“No, no, it’s not a problem,” she smiled and tilted her head, looking down, trying to wrap her mind around this kind of openness. “It’s only that I’m surprised … that you would just tell me.”  
“Well, I don’t mean to be too blunt,” Rey began, and started to blush a little, “but we’re adults on a date, and,” Rey leaned in across the table a little and whispered, “it could lead to consenting adult activities.” A bashful smile spread across Lena’s lips and she looked down at her hands folded in her lap. Rey sat back and returned to using their normal voice. “So I it’s something I think you should know about me.”  
Lena looked up again, still blushing a little, but with a look of genuine gratitude, and attraction, as she met Rey’s eyes with her own, and Rey, not for the first time, marveled at the clarity and vibrance of the green and hint of blue in them.  
“Thank you, Rey. I appreciate your refreshing candor.”  
“It’s not something I’m ashamed of,” Rey said, still a little confused about Lena’s apparent shock. “Though I’ll admit my alien father was a real dick, and I don’t claim him,” Rey continued, trying to lighten the mood.  
Lena laughed in response. “Well, my mother is a right bitch, so we have something in common there.”  
“Cheers to surviving our parents then,” Rey grinned and raised their wine glass for a toast.  
“Cheers to surviving,” Lena agreed and touched her glass to Rey’s, but there was a note of sadness under her smile that Rey couldn’t miss.  
They reached across the table, palm up, hoping to offer a little comfort for whatever was in this beautiful woman’s life that seemed to tinge a moment of joy. Lena took Rey’s hand and felt both a pleasing thrill at the touch and wonder at how easy it seemed. Rey’s hand was soft and warm with callouses where their fingers met the palm. Lena ran her fingertips across the toughened skin, and to Rey it felt intimate and right. 

“Wait … ” Lena sat back, realizing something. “If you’re half alien, what does that mean for our safer sex talk and all that testing?”  
“I got tested, too. Kai should have sent you the results, but, um, I can’t actually contract or pass on anything from a human. No viruses, no infections,” Rey said.  
“Wow,” Lena replied. “That’s really … I mean … nice to not have to worry about.”  
“I also can’t get pregnant and don’t have periods,” Rey said, waggling their eyebrows.  
“Shut it. Now you’re just bragging,” Lena replied, even as she laughed.  
“And the clinic tests for known alien viruses and infections. Nothing there either.”  
“Really?” Lena said, fascinated and with her mind leaping to possibilities. “Do you think the clinic might be willing to collaborate with my biomedical division?”  
Rey was cautious with their answer.  
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea to pursue, Lena.”  
“Why not?”  
“Even if your intentions are good, there’s a reason that aliens here tend to stay in hiding and underground. It’s not safe to share too much information.”  
“Oh,” Lena said, thoughtfully. Considering what her mother had done with Medusa, she knew Rey was right. “I see what you mean.”

Rey changed the topic to lighten the mood, asking Lena to tell them about herself, and Lena spoke of her passion for engineering and science, and the global humanitarian partnerships she was supporting with L-Corp technologies.  
She paused at that point, thought for a moment, and added, “I don’t mean humanitarian. I don’t want to restrict aid to just humans. I need to create a team to address that.” She paused to type a reminder in her phone before continuing.  
She admitted that she worked far too much and hadn’t allowed herself much time for simple socializing and fun.  
“That’s unfortunate,” Rey said, “but it sounds like what you do is very meaningful, and you light up when you talk about helping people. I can’t help but think you’re really making the most of every moment.”  
Lena warmed at the compliment and asked Rey to tell her about themself.  
“Well, if you don’t mind I won’t talk about my day job much. The information is sensitive and I have to consider of the safety of the people I work with.”  
“Of course, I can certainly respect that,” Lena replied.  
“It’s non-profit, sort of aid and support on a local scale,” Rey said, and that was as much as they could reveal. So they told Lena about their mom, and their big sister, Dana, who had a different father and who took care of them through rough times and whom they idolized.

 

As the evening drew to a close Lena texted Hector to pick them up. She reached into her clutch for a small card that she handed to Rey. “I want you to have this,” she said. It simply said TM followed by a phone number. Rey looked at her curiously. “It’s my number. The real one. I don’t give it to many people. So … you know …” and Lena smiled bashfully and bit her lip, not really knowing what to say next.  
“Thank you,” Rey said, and they meant it, though they were also a little mesmerized by that lip bite. For someone like Lena, this was probably a very big deal. They tucked it into their wallet. “What do the initials stand for?”  
“It’s a pseudonym I use. Use whatever you want for your contacts, but not my actual name, please,” Lena asked.  
“Okay. Thank you. Really.”

The date went so well that Lena decided it was probably best to give herself some time to sort out her feelings about how this arrangement was going.

“Rey, is it okay if we just end the evening here?”  
Oh, shit. Rey wondered if maybe they fucked up. It had felt like it went well, though, and Lena seemed to really like them. Rey tried not to show worry or disappointment on their face. Because they actually would be very pleased to see Lena again. Well, at least it was going to be the easiest grand they ever made.  
“Of course. That’s your prerogative, Ms. Luthor,” they said, distancing with a little formality.  
“I’d like that.” Lena didn’t move though. She was looking down at her hands.  
“I guess, then, I should … .” Go inside is what Rey was about to say.  
“Wait! Please.” Lena was looking at Rey again with a smile so bashful and cute it was eating them up, and they can’t help but grin back. “Before you go, would it be all right if I kiss you goodnight?”  
“Please.” Rey couldn’t stop the even bigger smile spreading across their face if they’d wanted to. They had been staring at those dark red lips all night, wondering.  
In heels Lena had just a little bit of height on them, but it wasn’t much to tilt their chin up and meet her kiss.  
Rey expected it to be short.  
Short-ish.  
But when Lena ran the tip of her tongue softly across their lips, a jolt of electricity coursed all the way to their core, and they were pretty sure it was mutual going by Lena’s gasp. And brief goodnight kisses were no longer on the menu.  
Rey pulled Lena close with one arm and placed a hand behind her head, pouring promise into that kiss. A promise that they could show Lena a very good time and make her forget whatever had put on that patina of sadness on her, the one that showed up whenever she realized she’d let her guard down even a little. They only pulled back when they felt a gentle hand on their jacket lapel applying just the tiniest bit of pressure. 

They didn’t realize they had gone so long without air, but their chest was practically heaving. Kissing Lena was like life, and they really really wanted to do it again. Soon. But that was entirely Lena’s decision. 

“Good night, Rey. I had a lovely time,” Lena said.  
“Good night, Lena,” was all Rey could manage, their brain having trouble functioning.

Lena watched Rey go inside, her eyes lingering on the muscular shoulders that showed even through their jacket. The door closed with a soft click, and she managed to keep her composure as she walked back to the car where her driver had emerged to hold the door for her. Once inside, though.  
Fuck, fuck, fuck. That was too good. She liked them. Really liked them. Maybe too much. Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first date isn't quite over yet. Wait for it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena changes her mind. Or, oh hey, the date isn't over yet.

ON THE WAY HOME

In the back of her car Lena had begun thinking of Rey and how very attractive they were and how relaxed she had been able to be with them. So much more than she had anticipated. And how easily they had told her about their alien side and how … trusted … that made her feel.  
Tonight’s date was so different than the other two. She had had her concerns about using the agency, especially at first, even though Kai had done her best to reassure Lena that the whole point was to be able to go out and not worry about being judged or used.  
Lena had been more than a little excited that both Valerie and Mae had said yes to her date requests. She had felt stiff with Valerie, almost as if she were watching the date unfold from outside her body. She was easy enough to talk to, but Lena kept things very superficial. Mae was interesting and attractive, but besides the whole potential-future-employee situation, there was no chemistry.  
Rey was just so different. Their being so upfront from the beginning was just so … unexpected and extraordinary. It made Lena feel safe to be open about herself to a degree she wasn’t sure she had been with anyone in a long time. Particularly not on first meeting someone.  
And it was enjoyable to be with someone who seemed to not know that much about her already, even though Rey knew about Lex and Lillian, of course, being part of the alien community. But they didn’t begin to lump Lena in with them.  
Rey was charming and honest, and frankly, sexy as fuck. Lena had never dated anyone like them, but she couldn’t deny her attraction to them bordered on fierce.  
To balance the fears she had about becoming too attached again, Lena reminded herself that Rey was doing a job, and it wasn’t a real date, which established a boundary that kept things safe. If things went south, or if she came too close to her heart getting involved, Lena could just end it.  
She realized she’d been completely lost in thought when Hector stopped the car and opened the door for her. As always, he came with her for the short trip from the private parking area to the lobby of her building and nodded hello to Clare Starling, this evening’s on-duty security.  
“Welcome home, Ms. Luthor. Did you have a nice evening?” Clare asked perceptively. Lena was sure anyone with eyes could tell she wasn’t just coming home from a business dinner.  
“I did, indeed, Clare. And how are things here?”  
“All quiet,” she said as she opened the elevator for Lena. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Ms. Luthor.”  
Once she stepped off the elevator and out of her heels she picked them up, relishing the feel of the cool stone under her feet as she walked to her security panel.  
She was thinking Kai had chosen well for her when she felt her phone vibrate in her hand. Inside her apartment she set the heels down by the door, knowing they would be put away by morning, and looked at her phone screen.  
____ 

Unknown: I hope you don’t mind me texting. I just wanted to say I had a wonderful time with you tonight, and I’d love to see you again.  
Lena adds Rey in her contacts under just the initial R. She felt the lingering twinge of want from their kisses and with a smirk decided to be a little bold with her response.  
Lena: Me too. I’m beginning to regret ending the evening so soon.  
R: I’m just now getting in my car. If you want …  
Lena nearly dropped her phone. Her heart went from steady to pounding in an instant.  
Lena: Really?  
In their car, the calm Rey had regained by hanging out on the Agency couch for 20 minutes after that molten kissing session with Lena evaporated as they felt like they’d been lit on fire all over again.  
Rey: Yes  
Lena’s mind hurtled into a decision making frenzy. Thinking of how huge a breach of her own security protocol this would be. Even of the Agency’s guidelines. How massively her own instincts had failed her when it came to Rhea, though really that was a mother issue and this was sheer desire.  
Lena texted her penthouse address and told Rey where to park and that Clare would get them on the elevator. She followed it with a request to delete the information once Rey knew where they were going.  
Rey replied with an alien head, an appropriately brown thumbs up, and a car, which made Lena laugh, and then her stomach launched into flips.  
She pressed a special comm app on her phone.  
“Robert, I’m having someone over. I know. Don’t faint. So, um, unless you specifically hear me screaming for help, just, um, ignore anything else, ok?” She watched the icon turn blue, which meant that Robert was listening to her instructions in real time, and she felt safe.  
She made a brief call to Clare, authorizing clearance for Rey and giving her a description in which the word handsome slipped out. When she hung up she glanced toward her heels and decided she definitely did not want to put those back on. In fact, as she became more aware of the constrictions of her dress, she thought, “And fuck this bra, too.”  
____

Rey felt fully scrutinized but not harassed after going through the security process. They had to show their ID and they knew there was at least one camera on them as they were standing at the guard desk. They’re also pretty sure they went through at least a metal detector and perhaps a detector of other materials. No telling. But the guard, Clare, was friendly, using her hand on a touch panel inside the elevator and simply saying, “Ms. Luthor’s penthouse,” before stepping off, smiling, and wishing Rey a good evening. And maybe that was a really quick wink? Rey knew they must look spectacularly out of their element in these luxury surroundings.

They stepped off the elevator to find just one door in what Rey supposed they would call a foyer. There’s nothing extraordinary about it other than a sleek panel beside it. Rey knocked.  
When the door opened, Rey was greeted by someone who looked like Lena’s nerdy twin sister and they blinked so hard they were pretty sure their third eyelid got in on the action. Judging by Lena’s raised eyebrows, yup, it definitely did.

“Lena,” Rey said and couldn’t help the huge smile that spread across their face. Lena was at once completely reformed in appearance and yet possibly even more sexy in fluffy socks, track pants and an MIT sweatshirt. But it was the thick framed glasses that really did it. “Wow.”  
Lena laughed so hard that her nose scrunched up and she had to look at the floor as she took Rey’s hand and guided them inside. “Rey, I literally just changed into what I wear when no one else is around and I want to read on the couch and drink wine.”  
“It really works for you. I’m honored.” Rey’s voice sounded so sincere that Lena looked up and recognized a sort of understanding in their eyes and thought Rey actually got that Lena revealing herself like this was kind of like her showing her real self, the way Rey had at dinner when they talked about their alien side.  
“Come in. Let me take your jacket,” Lena said. “Take your shoes off, too, if you like. Can I get you something?” she asked as Rey handed her their jacket. And Lena’s eyes lingered on Rey’s muscular shoulders just a little longer than she meant to.  
“Just some water would be great.”  
Lena draped the jacket over a chair and Rey kicked off their shoes by the door, leaving them next to Lena’s expensive heels, and followed her into a large modern kitchen that was open to the rest of the enormous living area.  
“Thank you for coming over. I know that wasn’t really the plan.”  
“I have to admit … I was a little disappointed when you said you wanted to end the date. I’m afraid I had gotten my hopes up and was anticipating how the rest of the evening would go,” Rey said with a glint in their eye.  
Lena responded well to it, placing two glasses of water on the counter between where they stood.  
“Had you now?”  
Rey just smiled, never breaking eye contact as they took a sip of water.  
Lena got flustered and started to nervously twine her fingers and hands in a way that Rey noticed at dinner, looking down and to the side as she continued.  
“I am sorry about that,” she said, tucking her hair behind an ear. “I think it was mostly just the thought of … using the agency house that spooked me a little. When I’m not in one of my safe zones … here, my office, my lab … I’m always a little anxious.”  
Rey nodded. “I get that. The house was fine, but I agree it didn’t feel quite right.”  
“I was thinking, as you were coming over,” Lena went on, “that I should probably just lean into the awkward here and not pretend I’m going to come off all smooth and seductive.”  
Rey chuckled in response, “I support that, Lena. Pretending never goes well. So, whatever questions you might have … or requests … just go for it.”  
Lena practically glowed in response to this kind of acceptance, and Rey basked in it as their eyes lingered on each other again. Rey stepped forward and took one of Lena’s hands.  
“Well, in that case … ” Lena began. “Is there anything I should know? Biology wise … that’s different?”  
Rey had anticipated this. “Nothing scary or too surprising for you, I promise. Is it ok if we just let things progress and you can notice what you notice?”  
Lena relaxed a little. “That sounds lovely.” She smiled. “So, the nictitating membrane?” She gestured at one of her own eyes, and Rey barked out a laugh.  
“Yes. It generally shows in reflex when I’m surprised, or scared,” Rey said with a slight pause before they continued, “or when I’m feeling something intense.”  
“Oh,” Lena said. “That’s fascinating.”  
“Is there anything I should know about you? Biology wise?” Rey asked.  
Lena huffed out a laugh and stepped in close to Rey, her breasts brushing the front of their shirt and her scent pleasantly drifting into the forefront of their awareness. Lena’s hand rested on Rey’s hip and her fingers traced under their tie, moving up and starting to loosen it gently.  
“I didn’t think so, but now that you ask …” Lena began. “As one of Kai’s agents, I guess you’re probably used to meeting people in my … situation.” She looked at Rey and ran her hand up their pectoral muscle. Without her heels she was only a little shorter than Rey and it was wonderful, gazing into their dark amber eyes. She gathered herself and continued. “I mean, I’m barely in my mid 20s, and except for boarding school and my one relationship in grad school I just never had the freedom or opportunity to … fuck. I was either swamped with work or I didn’t know who I could trust, if anyone. Jack, in grad school, he was safe and fun. But we clicked in more of a friends with occasional benefits way than anything else.”  
Rey swallowed a stubborn lump of guilt that rose up. They’re not really one of Kai’s agents, but they hadn’t told Lena that yet. They had zero experience with people in Lena’s situation. But Rey thought they understood what Lena was trying to tell them.  
“You want to go slow?” Rey asked.  
“God no,” Lena said as she fisted the part of Rey’s shirt under her hand and pulled them even closer, her breath ghosting against their ear and neck. “I want you to fuck my brains out. I just … would like you to take the lead. I promise if there’s something I don’t like, I’ll let you know.”  
Rey couldn’t wait any longer. Their lips met Lena’s and the searing passion that they had shared earlier ignited again like a magnesium fire.  
Rey broke contact just long enough to agree. Then they dipped at the knees to clasp their arms under Lena’s thighs and ass, easily picking her up and turning toward the room as Lena wrapped her legs around their waist.  
“Bedroom?”  
“To the left,” and Lena had their tie unknotted and cast to the floor and was unbuttoning their shirt as Rey strode down a short hallway and into a large master bedroom with a stunning view of the city.  
“Um … curtains?”  
“One-way glass,” Lena responded. Rey set Lena down next to the bed, looking around only enough to get their bearings. They undid the buttons of their cuffs as Lena tugged their shirt from their pants and finished unfastening the rest. With a sweep of hands across Rey’s shoulders, Lena pushed the shirt off and down their arms and let her gaze roam across their muscular chest, smattered with tiny freckles, and small breasts with dark purple-brown nipples, then down to their flat belly, abs outlined and the vee of defined hip flexors disappearing into the waist of their pants.  
“Fuck,” Lena uttered. Her hands hovered at Rey’s sides, frozen in air as if she was cast under a spell.  
Rey laughed and broke her reverie. “Like what you see?”  
Lena looked up and nodded like a kid in a candy store, her eyes glittering through her glasses.  
“I should use the restroom before there’s no turning back,” Rey said.  
“Oh, yes!” Lena said, emerging from her stupor. “Just through there,” she said, pointing.  
When Rey turned and Lena’s eyes fell on their back, she gasped. Rey knew she was responding to the pattern of freckles that began on their chest and ran over their shoulders, cascading down their muscular back. They grew more numerous, connecting and blending into a solid swath of color that narrowed and then branching out again across their hips where they became individual specs again. The pattern continued and dissipated across their ass and the back of their thighs. But Lena would see that later.  
In the bathroom Rey emptied their bladder, washed their hands, and paused to look in the mirror.  
“Well, Rey. I guess you’re doing this,” Rey thought with a mix of nerves and glee. They sent a quick text message before going back out.

Rey: Hey, don’t wait up tonight. Not sure when I’ll get back  
Jules: Everything ok?  
Rey: Very ok  
Jules: Glad to hear it [smile face]  
Rey: Stay safe. Don’t open the door for anybody.  
Jules: Yes, dad 

 

Lena pulled a wide swath of the bedsheets down, unsure of what would work best. This was happening. This was definitely happening. Rey was fucking gorgeous. Was it too good to be true? Should she be more wary? Guarded? Lena shook her head and took her glasses off, putting them on the bedside table. She purposefully cast her fears aside and, thinking ahead, dashed back to the kitchen, sliding the last few feet in her socks. She pulled a large bottle of cold water from the fridge and brought it back into the bedroom, setting it down just as Rey emerged from the bathroom.

“God, you’re stunning,” spilled from Lena’s mouth as she watched Rey, shirtless, set their phone down on the bedside table and walk toward her.  
“Thank you,” Rey said, smiling as they stepped quietly into Lena’s personal space, the skin of their abdomen brushing the soft material of Lena’s sweatshirt. They got lost in the deep green of Lena’s eyes. “We’ve gotten a little one-sided here.” Rey gently grasped the bottom of Lena’s sweatshirt. “Can I take this off?” Lena nodded and lifted her arms while Rey slipped the material up and over her head, tossing it to the side.

Lena wore no bra and the soft expanse of creamy white skin and full breasts took their breath away. “Beautiful,” Rey whispered and took Lena into their arms.  
Lena was swept up in a tempest of skin and desire. She looked at Rey’s eyes, down to their chest, and back again. Rey nodded in assent.  
She set her mouth on Rey’s breast, taking nearly all of it in and letting out a low groan deep in her throat. It had Rey grunting from the intensity of it, “Fuck! Lena!”  
She stroked her tongue wide and flat up over the nipple and brought her lips and tongue back to focus on it. As Rey’s mind blossomed in colors they decided Lena didn’t really need them to take the lead after all. Rey was barely able to stand, arms frozen in mid-air to their sides, as Lena paused in worshipping their breasts. Lena straightened and started to pull at their belt, unfastening it and then working on the button and zipper of their pants. Anticipation sent a pulse of energy throbbing between Rey’s thighs just as Lena looked up, locking eyes with Rey. “May I?” she asked.  
Rey nodded enthusiastically, “Yes. Hell, yes,” they said as Lena pushed their pants to the floor.  
Rey stepped out of them and quickly discarded their socks as Lena rose. Rey moved forward, backing her to the bed. Lena sat and slid back, Rey following, positioning themself over her, kissing again, bare chest to chest, god it was good.  
Lena squirmed out of her track pants and threw her socks after them. Rey’s thigh notched neatly between Lena’s, meeting the damp silk of her panties, and Lena ground and moaned, her entire body writhing now as Rey’s mouth took in the wonder that was Lena’s breasts.  
Lena tugged at the base of Rey’s head, urging them back up into more kisses with her arms around Rey’s neck. Rey rolled their hips into Lena’s and suddenly Lena’s body went rigid, her mouth flew open and she threw her head back. An orgasm she never felt coming rocked through her body and briefly whites out her vision.  
“Lee, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were that close!” Rey said, the nickname rolling out naturally.  
“Oh god,” Lena breathed as she came back down. “I didn’t either. God. That … fuck …”  
Rey stilled, catching their breath, watching Lena who seemed to be glowing from the surge of pleasure and then lazily opened her eyes. Smiled wickedly. “I didn’t ask you to stop, though.”  
Rey grinned and took the opportunity to slip the panties down and off Lena’s legs.  
“Yours, too,” Lena prompted, so Rey took off the briefs that they would definitely not be putting back on until they’d been laundered.  
Rey lay back down next to Lena, twining their legs with hers and running their hand over her soft belly, enjoying the tactile pleasure of caressing smooth skin and drawing little circles around each distinct brown beauty mark they found in the plane of milky white.  
Lena put a hand on top of Rey’s and played her fingers over it as it moved across her body. One finger of Lena’s other hand traced over Rey’s shoulder, following the flow of purple-brown freckles down the scapula and spine.  
“Your skin is so beautiful,” she said.  
Rey hummed a kiss into Lena’s chest. “So is yours.”  
“I look like a potato,” Lena quipped.  
Rey laughed and shook their head. “Maybe the hue, but definitely not the shape.”  
“What if I asked you to fuck me right now?” Lena said, her voice quiet and hot.  
“I’d do it with pleasure,” Rey replied, feeling Lena taking their hand and guiding it between her legs.  
The flash fire effect surged again and soon Rey had three fingers buried inside Lena, and Lena was screaming yes over and over as a string of orgasms rocked through her. Rey’s eyes met hers and they could see no sign of this passionate spree abating any time soon. Rey thought they had never been so turned on in their life. They owed Kai a sincere apology for ever doubting her.  
“Lena, I really really want to taste you. Is that ok?”  
“Yes! Please!” she answered, and Rey eased down her body, eased one finger out so there were just two now, eased into a slow, gentle, shallow rhythm.  
When Rey laid their full soft lips on Lena’s folds and let their tongue take a first taste, Lena’s hips came off the bed from the sensation.  
Rey backed off. “Are you ok?”  
Lena nodded frantically. “I think I’m just really sensitive right now, but that felt amazing. Keep going.”  
Rey returned and the taste of Lena made their thoughts run slow like cold molasses. They got lost in it and didn’t mind a bit. They felt Lena’s hand at the crown of their head, fingers pulling gently on the short soft twists of their hair, gently guiding them in to give more, and they obliged.  
They rolled their tongue, pushing like a wave through Lena’s core and up just shy of her clit, feeling pride as they heard Lena’s gasps and felt her hips rolling to meet each stroke. This time Rey was in control, so they held off intentionally, ratcheting Lena’s want higher and then pulling back, higher and easing off again. Lena’s hips began to twist, the hand on Rey’s head pressed harder, and Lena began to beg.  
“Rey, fuck, what are you doing to me? Please, oh fuck, please, please let me come!”  
Rey gave her what she wanted and relished feeling Lena twist and pull the sheets around them up off the bed and hearing the moan of ecstasy burst into a higher octave and a surge of decibels. Rey was pretty sure that orgasm could be heard from space, and they were feeling pretty cocky about it when they finally lifted their head and crawled back up to nuzzle in the crook of Lena’s arm as she was splayed across the bed, unable to move.

When Lena’s brain began to function again, she found she loved the feel of Rey in her arms. She’d never really had someone tuck into her like that before, and it was simply wonderful.

“Can you stay?” she asked.  
Rey lifted their head and met her eyes. “You want me to stay?”  
“Only if you want,” Lena said, suddenly sounding a little unsure. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked. Maybe it was too much too soon. But she really liked Rey and didn’t want them to go yet.  
“Yeah. I can. I’d really like that.”  
Lena’s smile was like a bloom breaking open.  
“Hand me my phone?” she asked. Rey rolled over to grab it, handed it over, and then rolled back into their snug spot with their head on her chest, chin nestled just above her breast and an arm draped across her torso. They felt Lena’s gestures as she unlocked it.  
“Robert, I have a guest for breakfast. Something special, please.” Rey could feel Lena’s chin tilt down as she looked at them. “Any dietary restrictions?”  
“Nope. I don’t care for green peppers, though.”  
“Got it. Um … do you have, like, a big appetite … compared to …”  
“Oh, yeah. Big. Not huge big. But like double-portion big. Maybe triple considering tonight.”  
Lena laughed at that. “Got it. Robert, no green peppers, prepare for me and let’s say a half-Kara size portion for my friend. Not sure when we’ll be up, tbh, so you’ll just have to wing it. Sorry. Love you. Bye.”  
Rey was now totally curious and propped their head up on a hand.  
“Who’s Robert?”  
“My personal assistant. He has a hidden apartment on the other side of the penthouse.”  
“No shit?”  
“Mmm-hmm,” Lena confirmed. “I’m going to be in a bind soon, though. He wants to retire and we’re having a hard time finding the right person to replace him.”  
“Oh?”  
“Yeah. Basically I need someone who is unbelievably capable at everything who is willing to give up their life and be at my beck and call 24/7. That sounds worse than it really is, but that’s the job.”  
“Heh, yeah. I can imagine that takes a special type of person.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the night and a more serious talk over breakfast.

THEY’RE NOT DONE

After a few minutes, Lena’s mind began to sweep over the evening she’d had and it went back to one moment.  
“Rey?”  
“Yes?”  
Lena paused, not sure how to ask. Best to just ask, she supposed. “Can I look at your back?” She felt more than heard Rey chuckle in the crook of her arm. “I just saw a glimpse of it before and it looked so beautiful.”  
Rey extracted themself from Lena’s arms and slid over to the side of her, stretching out on their belly and extending their arms above their head.  
“You like my freckles?” Rey asked, imagining Lena’s curiosity was going full tilt.  
“They’re extraordinary,” Lena said as she trailed her fingertips from Rey’s shoulders, down their spine, and to the top of their ass where the edge of the sheets lays across them.  
Rey took in a sharp whoosh of air.  
“Oh!” Lena exclaimed. “I’m sorry, did that hurt?”  
“No,” Rey laughed. “It’s a really erogenous zone for me.”  
“Oh,” Lena replied, more fascinated still. Where she had touched she could see the darker pigmented skin had raised the slightest degree. “Can I?”  
“Oh, yeah. Just … stay really gentle for now.”  
Lena continued to explore the pattern of Rey’s skin. Where the sprinkle of spots merged they became the same dark purple-brown as Rey’s areolae and nipples. Lena gently pulled the sheets down so she could trace her fingers and palm over the muscular dome of Rey’s ass and down their thighs.  
“What does it feel like to you?”  
Rey’s answer was spaced with gasps.  
“Like my skin turns to … molten caramel. … And then it gets charged with energy that wraps around me and … goes through me and straight to … my crotch.”  
Rey breathed deeply, adrift in the sensations, getting wetter and hotter. They had gone into this not really expecting to be on the receiving end. And they had to make a decision on whether that was something they wanted. And soon. They didn’t often feel comfortable allowing that because they had their own trust issues. But Lena had been nothing but open and accepting, and, fuck, Rey was getting so turned on.  
“What is it called? This pattern,” Lena asked.  
“I don’t know a scientific name for it,” Rey said. “I’ve never seen another half with it, so I think it has more to do with how the Ledeai mixed with my mom’s DNA.”  
As Lena continued, Rey was further lost to the sensation. They fisted their hands under their forehead and began to grind their hips into the bed, breathing more heavily. It was exquisite, and becoming unbearable.  
“Lena, fuck.”  
“Rey, I really want to fuck you. Is that okay,” Lena said as she straddled Rey’s legs and ran her tongue from mid spine to cervical. The sensation was so intense Rey came off the bed, braced on all four limbs, lifting Lena like a bronco.  
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Are you ok? Too much?”  
“Oh fuck, so good, but we need to let that area ease down a bit.”  
“Ok,” Lena agreed, her eyes shining with excitement.  
“And before you fuck me, I need to let you know that my cunt is … a little more interactive than a human’s.”  
“Oh, really?” Lena did not sound deterred in the least. Intrigued, in fact.  
“It will pull you in, gently, and kind of massage and clench,” Rey said as they rolled over onto their back, looking to Lena’s face to see how she was taking the information.  
The heat in her darkened eyes was enough to make Rey take in another big breath as Lena moved her body over theirs, laying herself along their length and kissing their throat, running the tip of her tongue along the skin and freckles scattered there.  
“And you should know … I don’t let many people fuck me,” Rey said. Lena lifted her head and met their eyes. “I trust you,” Rey said.  
“Thank you,” she said.  
Lena smiled softly, grazing her fingertips down Rey’s jaw line and trying to show she understood the importance of that. Rey threaded their fingers into Lena’s long hair that curtained them both, grasped it until they felt it pull taut against Lena’s scalp, and pulled her down into a deep kiss they both got lost in.  
Lena broke the kiss to sit up, straddling one of Rey’s thick thighs, grinding against it as she ran her hands across Rey’s biceps and down their arms, bracing one hand to pin their wrists against the mattress above their head as the other trailed down Rey’s body and between their legs.  
Rey rocked their ass off the bed with the first touch that eased into the slick fluid of their folds. Lena held on.  
Lena let her fingertips glide down alongside Rey’s engorged clit, across the lips of the inner labia, which were a little more rigid around the edges than she had in her limited experience. Inside, deeper, it was so soft, and Lena let two fingertips linger there, making lazy circles around the opening.  
Rey groaned and writhed.  
“Is this good? Is this ok?” Lena asked.  
Rey, whose eyes were squeezed shut, nodded vigorously. “Yes. Yes, baby,” Rey urged. “Whenever you’re ready. I want you so bad.”  
Lena moved down Rey’s body, letting go of their wrists, to get a better angle with her hand. Her fingers moved just inside Rey’s opening, and Rey opened their legs wider. When Lena bent to lick and bite at Rey’s breasts, Rey arched into it and put their hands on the back of Lena’s head.  
“Harder,” they whispered. Lena gasped and tugged a nipple into her mouth, answering the request with enthusiasm.  
“Yes,” Rey moaned. Lena slid two fingers fully inside Rey and immediately felt the texture inside Rey moving like a live thing, trying to pull her fingers even deeper.  
Fucking hell, that’s hot, she thought as she moaned, sending the vibration of it through the flesh under her lips and tongue.  
“Yes!!” Rey shouted. Then whispered down to Lena, urgent, “Yes, Lee, fuck me, please. You can’t hurt me. Fuck me!”  
Lena sat up, taking in a rush of air and started fucking Rey with long powerful strokes, loving the feel of their cunt walls undulating and chasing and pulling with each stroke. Lena’s hand was flat on Rey’s chest, pressing them down as she rode their thigh, feeling like she could easily hurtle over the edge again at any moment.  
“More! Please!” Rey shouted. Lena slid in a third.  
She looked to Rey, who was watching Lena intently now, their third eyelid partially covering the inside corner of their eye. Rey nodded and Lena slid her pinky inside as well, stroking alongside Rey’s clit with her thumb.  
As Lena pumped nearly half of her hand inside Rey she felt the walls get tighter and tighter, holding her inside, so she curled her fingers up, feeling it swollen and thick.  
Rey’s shout of pleasure when the orgasm hit echoed off the windows and walls and their body froze in a rigid arch. Lena felt each pulse so strongly she could see her own arm being tugged forward in response.  
She had almost forgotten her own pleasure until Rey’s body relaxed back onto the bed.  
“Please, Lena, I want to taste you right now.”  
“Yes,” Lena whispered. “Yes.”  
She felt Rey’s hands suddenly under her thighs, lifting and moving her up their body. She had to brace her hands against the wall above her headboard to stop the momentum as Rey brought her to their mouth. She felt Rey’s tongue slip inside her, and in moments she came in a gush she could feel rolling from her body and dripping down her thighs, a convulsion so intense her torso arched back until she could feel the skin across her belly go taut.

Eventually, even though she was still in a boneless post-orgasm state, Lena had to admit she was also extremely uncomfortable lying back across Rey’s body with her lower legs and feet folded under her to either side of Rey’s body. With a groan she awkwardly rolled off and reoriented herself so that they were both at least pointing in the same direction.  
Rey, sprawled spread eagle on the bed and not caring that Lena almost kicked them in the chin, simply smiled.  
Lena crawled on her knees to the bedside table where she grabbed the water and drank deep, then offered it to Rey, who nodded and rolled up to take long swallows before handing it back and collapsing.  
They held up an arm to invite Lena in. Lena pulled her hair back first, taking care to draw the strands from her sweat dampened face and sweep them back, and then eased her body into the crook of Rey’s arm and chest where she rested her head.  
After a few minutes of silence, just holding each other, Lena murmured, “Your nictitating membrane covers your eyes when you come. That’s so cool,” and fell asleep.  
_____

Lena woke to the smell of coffee and bacon, feeling more relaxed than she had in ages. Perhaps ever. She was incredibly hungry, which was unusual for her in the morning. Unbidden, a smile spread across her lips and she marveled at what this felt like. And what a marvel Robert was. His knack for knowing exactly what she needed at any given time was uncanny, bordering on frightening. She had a nagging suspicion he had installed cameras somewhere to spy on her and freak her out with his ninja-like butlering. She laughed at a mental image of Robert all in black sneaking around and picking up after her.  
She breathed in deeply and began to stretch, picking up another scent besides the bacon and coffee. Since when did Robert make bacon? Wait, no. Focus. That’s delightful … like sassafras tea and warm skin and sex … Rey.  
Lena’s eyes shot open just as an arm across her torso tugged her a little closer.  
Oh, god, this feels so good, she thought.  
Lena scootched a little to roll onto her back. Rey was still asleep, their chin tucked into the pillow and a leg snaking over Lena’s when she moved, like Lena was a shapely pale body pillow. Lena looked down at the arm across her belly and adored the contrast of their skin tones, her creamy white and Rey’s rich brown, and how natural it felt to be held in Rey’s sleepy grasp.  
But she also had to pee.  
She inched out from Rey’s arm and succeeded in not waking them. Ten minutes later she’d cleaned up a bit, brushed her teeth, gotten the goo out of her eyes and pulled a brush through her hair.  
When she came back Rey had rolled over onto their stomach and splayed out across her bed. They were gorgeous.  
She crawled onto the bed and ran her hand up Rey’s arm to their shoulder where just a light dust of freckles lay.  
Rey groaned into the pillow in response.  
“Good morning, lover. Can I interest you in breakfast?”  
Rey responded without moving their head, so it was muffled by the pillow but still audible.  
“God yes.”  
“Good,” Lena said. “I’m famished for some reason,” she emphasized as she leaned over, pressing her breasts to Rey’s back and cupping an ass cheek in her hand, giving it a little knead. “Get up then, I’m not going to wait for you.” She smacked their ass gently and rolled off, padding to her wardrobe where she found a fresh soft tee and pulled it on, then grabbed another and a pair of her workout shorts she thought might not fall off of Rey. Back in the bedroom she put on her track pants and socks from the night before. Rey had disappeared into the bathroom, so she tossed the clothes on the bed.  
“I found an extra toothbrush and set it out for you,” she yelled. “And a washcloth and towel. And something to wear. I don’t usually have anyone over, so just make yourself at home if there’s anything else you need.”  
An affirmative noise from a mouth presumably full of toothpaste came back in response, and Lena grinned.  
In a way this whole situation felt unreal. She’d never let anyone but Robert into her penthouse. Well, aside from work crews that installed her security, though she had installed the most proprietary tech herself. And there was an interior designer there before she’d first moved in. No one personal. She’d rarely let anyone get this close to her, and never so fast.  
Was there just something about Rey that made it easy for her to trust them? Could it be some alien superpower? Rey seemed exceptionally intuitive and empathetic. But she couldn’t sense any malice there. And Rey had shown Lena a lot of trust as well.  
Lena knew she wanted to see them again. She’d had so many doubts about what was possible, what she could have, that she hadn’t really thought much beyond just hoping for one good date and hopefully satisfying sex.  
Rey had really gone above and beyond there.  
But Kai had explained that many Agency clients established an ongoing relationship with a particular agent. Was that something Rey would be willing to consider?  
Lena sighed heavily as she walked into the kitchen, knowing that she would have to explain to Rey what it meant to be close to Lena Luthor before they could make that decision. She felt a glimmer of hope that Rey would still want to see her, and she forced it down before it got too much air and grew.  
In the kitchen she found a pot of coffee, hot water in the kettle for tea, and plates of food, some covered to retain the heat. Plus her usual yogurt and fruit. She grabbed a grape and popped it in her mouth and picked up the folded note card placed neatly to one side.

_“You’ll have to give me a little more notice to shop for ingredients if you want something truly impressive, but I did my best. Enjoy. —R  
P.S. Way to go. [heart]_

It looked like Robert had bought some of every possible breakfast food from the bodega around the corner.  
Lena laughed and Rey, now sliding their arms around her waist from behind and placing a kiss on her shoulder, asked if they could see. Lena held it up for them to read.  
They grinned and took note of how at home and warm Lena seemed right now. Not like the walls-up tentative person they met yesterday.  
“He seems like a good friend,” Rey said.  
“God, yes. He’s always there for me.” Lena looked reflective for a moment before going on. “He’s very dear to me,” she says with a more serious tone, “which is why I tell almost no one about him.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Rey … ” Lena took Rey’s hand. “There’s something we need to talk about.”  
“Last night was wonderful,” Lena began, first looking down at their joined hands and then up to meet Rey’s beautiful golden brown eyes. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this good in my life,” she grinned, but then turned serious.  
“I’m not sure this is a morning-after topic, but it’s definitely one we need to discuss before you decide if you’d like to see me again,” Lena said.  
She let go of Rey’s hand and handed them a plate, taking one for herself and beginning to uncover dishes.  
“I would love to see you again, Lena,” Rey said emphatically. “You’re extraordinary and I could really … ” Rey realized they should probably not gush that much so soon and listen to what Lena had to say. “Wait. Sorry I interrupted. Please go on. I’m listening,” they said as they began piling bacon and eggs and shreds of cheese on their plate.  
“I realize how dramatic this sounds,” Lena said, “but trust me when I say I’m not exaggerating. I’m basically a walking target, and sometimes the people around me and close to me get hurt.”  
Rey’s eyes widened and they paused mid-bite. Kai did not mention this shit.  
“Wow. That’s definitely something.” Rey wasn’t exactly sure what Lena meant. “Can you elaborate?”  
That could take a while, Lena thought. She poured hot water into the small teapot Robert had prepared. “Coffee?” she asked. Rey nodded and she poured them a cup and handed it over.  
One of the ways she had of coping with everything that had happened to her was to try not to think about it all at once. It could pull her into a very dark place. But she wouldn’t let Rey walk into this blind. They had to know up front.

Lena’s personal energy closed in, tightening around her as she took a bite of bacon and picked up a cloth napkin, erecting a shield of defense—not from Rey but from her own memories—even as she tried to look very casual about it all. She twisted the napkin in her hand as she chewed.  
Rey observed all this and realized Lena wanted to pretend what she was about to say didn’t scare her.  
Lena took a deep breath and forged on. Rey started to eat as they listened.  
“I’ve had my helicopter come under fire, and the pilot got shot. Supergirl saved us from crashing. The next day at an L-Corp press conference I was almost shot, and the agent who prevented it came close to getting killed. I shot the man who was after me in the back.” Lena poured the steeped tea from the pot into her favorite mug. “Twice. He’d also set explosive charges to try to bring down L-Corp headquarters. Everyone inside would have been killed. Supergirl and Superman kept the building from collapsing.”  
Rey stopped eating. Lena ate a bit of eggs and took another bite of bacon and continued.  
“Another time there was an exchange of fire in my lobby and a detective got shot by an energy or heat ray … I’m not even sure,” she said, gesturing with her napkin, “from a sort of cyborg man who works for my mother.”  
Rey stared and blinked. Lena kept her eyes on her plate as she spoke.  
“He’d just thrown a granite rendition of the L-Corp logo at me. Supergirl shielded me from that, and it broke into dust when it hit her.”  
Lena listed all of these incidents calmly, as if this sort of thing happened all the time. Rey grew more and more horrified and knew it was showing on their face. How could one person be the target of so many attacks? And Lena wasn’t done yet.  
“Most of the other attempts have been more direct, where I was the only one at risk, but more recently there were some explosions at the Girl of Steel unveiling at the harbor … civilians were injured.” Lena raised her eyebrows and nodded wryly as she said, smiling and with her Irish accent coming out, “I really should stop making public appearances.” She paused for a moment then looked as if she'd been sucked into a vortex of nightmarish memories.  
“Lena, you’re acting all chill about this, but any one of those things is traumatic enough to change someone’s life and really mess them up. And it sounds like you’re not even telling me the half of it. How … how … ?”  
Shaking their head in dismay, Rey wasn’t sure what they could even ask without being incredibly insensitive. How are you alive? How do you keep going? How have you managed to cope and stay so resilient?  
“I won’t live in fear,” Lena said bluntly, her vivid green eyes, so astonishing and intelligent, so full of life, meeting Rey’s. She knew what was going through Rey’s mind. It was obvious. “This is the hand I’ve been dealt. I’ll admit, there have been dark times, and I’ve made some terrible decisions. And there was a time when I considered giving up. Just, you know, letting the next one get me,” she said, looking down at her plate again and sighing.  
She looked up into Rey’s eyes to see if they were still with her or if they were already, wisely, planning to run as far away as they could get.  
“I was so worn down by the constant barrage. I’d get clear of one thing and then another would step in its place. Now, I … I’ve gotten rather … cavalier about it. If I spent my life cowering because I don’t know which day will be my last, then all the would-be assassins have won without even firing the lucky shot, you know?” she said, again with the lilt and a flick of her eyebrow as if that day were inevitable and she’d come to accept it.  
Lena paused. Rey clasped her hands, now still in her lap, assuring her. They stayed quiet, ready to listen when she was ready to go on.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback to a low point. Lena and Rey finish their talk and connect again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: This flashback is Lena at her lowest. She’s very traumatized.

_She just got tired of fighting so hard to survive. Getting shot at. Punched. Knocked out. Tossed off a balcony. And that very morning, fucking poisoned with her own goddamn morning coffee during her weekly meeting with James Olsen at CatCo. She couldn’t relax her guard for a fucking second._  
_Her good scotch was overwhelmed by a lingering bitter taste, something that must be a side effect of the poison or the antidote. She couldn’t get it out of her mouth. She downed the rest of the glass anyway and screamed, “Fuck!” in a moment of furious impulse, hurling the tumbler into the wall across her office where it smashed in a glorious rain of glass._  
_Enough was enough. The next bullet she wasn’t going to dodge. She just didn’t care anymore. She was tired of it. It was never fucking ending. And even if Kara promised she would always protect her, that was a promise Kara had no way of keeping. It was sweet. But it was a lie._  
_She picked up a crystal award from her shelf and threw it. It felt good, the centripetal force of it at the end of her arm, slinging it to the side and then letting it go, enjoying the crash. The satisfaction was short lived, though._  
_She stood, arms limp at her sides, tears starting to fall._  
_She couldn’t win. She would never win. Statistically, if more than one person was trying to kill you over and over, eventually, and probably sooner than later, they would succeed. What was the point? Why was she trying so hard to survive when death was always at her heels?_  
_She felt so small. So defeated._  
_Even Kara. Even Kara wasn’t someone she had the energy to fight for anymore. After this morning she knew Kara would always keep her at arm’s length. Outside the inner circle. That was a sour taste, too._  
_There was a gentle rap on her door just before Jess opened it and stepped in, taking a quick look around at the broken glass and taking in the sight of Lena Luthor, the most powerful woman in the city, barefoot, in tears, looking like a lost 20-something for the first time since Jess had met her._  
_Jess stepped toward her and barely got there in time to catch her as Lena sank to her knees. Jess made sure Lena landed as softly as she could, holding her as racking sobs consumed her._  
_Jess loved her job and loved her boss. She was fiercely loyal. But beyond that, in that moment, Jess realized she would do anything to help Lena and make sure she never saw her look this broken again._  
_Of course Jess knew what had happened that morning. Robert was beside himself with worry and furious with James Olsen and Kara Danvers for not getting Lena to a hospital for real care and recovery observation, as was Jess. Leaving Lena on James’ fucking office couch for god’s sake, like she’d just had a mild headache and hadn’t been poisoned with cyanide. Jess was still trying to figure out how she could report their insane irresponsible behavior to CatCo HR without Lena finding out._  
_She, of course, had urged Lena to go home and let Robert take care of her, but Lena insisted she needed to be alone for a while._  
_Alone. Lena was alone far too goddamned much._  
_“Lena, you can’t go on like this,” Jess said._  
_Lena almost laughed. “I know. That’s what I was just thinking. I can’t do this anymore. They’re going to get me one day, and I just need to be prepared for that,” she said in a flat tone._  
_“No, Lena!” Jess was horrified. “That’s not what I meant.”_  
_“Make an appointment for us to go over my will and end of life arrangements. I want to be sure you and Robert aren’t left in a lurch.”_  
_Jess leaned back and literally shook Lena by the shoulders, and, for the first time since she’d been working for her, refused to do something Lena had asked her to do._  
_“No! Lena, you are not going to give up. We are going to figure out a better way, together, and you are going to let Robert and I be there for you when you need us. I’m not going to let you isolate yourself like this.”_  
_“What?”_  
_Jess was really getting mad now, and she had never shown this kind of emotion with Lena, who at the moment looked about 18 with an expression that showed she was surprised anyone even cared._  
_“And you’re going to stop pining for Kara Danvers … ”_  
_“What? I’m not … ” Lena objected._  
_“Don’t even begin that with me,” Jess said. “Who do you think ordered all those flowers that you filled her office with?”_  
_Lena didn’t say anything else._  
_“And you’ll stop hanging out with that jerk James Olsen and we’re going to by-god find you some better friends who will care about you as much as we do.”_  
_“Jess,” Lena began. And Jess could tell she was about to rattle off one of her I’m-fine speeches, which was funny considering she’d sounded very close to completely giving up just moments before, and Jess was having none of it._  
_“I’m calling Hector, and I’m riding home with you. I’m not letting you out of my sight until you are safe with Robert.”_  
_Lena just looked at Jess as if she didn’t deserve even this kind of love when she was at an absolute low. So Jess helped her up and over to her couch where she held her in her arms again._  
_“Where is Kara now?” Jess asked, fuming. “Did she even say she would check on you tonight?”_  
_“I don’t know. I think she’s trying to follow a lead to find out who did it.”_  
_“Isn’t that NCPD’s job?”_  
_“I … I’m not sure they called the police. I didn’t speak to anyone.”_  
_“What?!”_  
_“It’s ok, Jess. I’m pretty sure I know who did it, and I don’t think it would be good to get the police involved,” Lena sighed in resignation, but at least she sounded like she was back in the fight. “I’m going to have to tiptoe through a few gray legal and ethical areas to put this one to bed.”_  
Jess shook her head.  
_“Ms. Luthor,” she started. Lena sat up and gave her a small wry smile._  
_“You were calling me Lena a minute ago.”_  
_“Lena … ” Jess said, holding back a tear of her own, afraid she knew where this was going._  
_“Just help me. And trust me,” Lena asked._  
_“Always,” Jess said, wrapping Lena in the most loving hug she could. “But it can still wait until tomorrow.”_  
_Lena knew how to pick her battles and allowed Jess to escort her home to Robert, who fed her something to settle her stomach and put her to bed, making sure she had plenty of water._  
_Before she fell asleep, and before her mind started working on how to deal with the combined threat of Morgan Edge and her mother, she took a moment to appreciate what it was like to feel truly cared for. She made a mental note. When this was all over she was going to go over her end-of-life plans on her own time. Jess and Robert were precious to her, as were Clare and Hector, and so many others who risked their lives just to help her function and survive one more day, trying to do some good in the world._  


Lena enjoyed the feeling of Rey’s hands wrapped around hers, stilling her nerves and feeling safe to go on.  
“None of us knows which day that will be. I refuse to devolve into a quivering mass, afraid to go outside or live my life. That’s not saying I’m not hyper aware of my surroundings. I always know where the closest makeshift weapon is and where I should dive if bullets fly. But it’s rather an unconscious effort at this point. I’m not saying I don’t have nightmares. I’m not saying I’m not fucked up by it,” she said.  
“And people close to me, like Robert and my executive assistant, Jess, they have to be more diligent. They know that someone could try to get to me through them. And I do my best to take care of them and make sure that never happens, but at the end of the day there’s no denying that working for me puts their lives at risk.” Lena turned her hands to take Rey’s into her own and hold them, meeting Rey’s eyes.  
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that, unlike other clients you may see for the Agency, it’s more than just corporate espionage or a tabloid scandal that I have to worry about. And you should make your decision being fully aware of that.” Lena let go of Rey’s hands and sat up with her shoulders back.  
Rey nodded. Lena could see that the full weight of this information was soaking in.  
“So,” Lena said, and she saw in Rey’s eyes an expression of horror and … hopefully not pity, but something more like understanding she thought, “I want you to take some time to decide if you’re up for that.”  
Rey looked down, shaking their head, and Lena heard them say under their breath, “Fucking Kai.”  
Then Lena realized they were actually laughing. She supposed the absurdity of it was kind of funny, but it certainly wasn’t the response she had expected.  
“If you’re asking me if I’m ok with being shot at, that’s a no,” Rey said after a short pause. Lena smiled sadly, knowing she couldn’t hope for Rey to accept such a risk but grateful that she had gotten to have this one amazing experience.  
“But I’m also not afraid to keep seeing you, Lena,” Rey said. “I would very much like to … date you.” Rey wasn’t sure what they were supposed to call what they were doing.  
Lena was undoubtedly confused. What was Rey saying?  
“First,” Rey began, taking a big breath, “I’m not one of the regular Agents. I don’t see any other clients. This was my first date ever for the Agency.”  
Lena’s defense mechanisms fired up. What was going on?  
Rey easily sensed her response, feeling her demeanor grow cold and hard, so they continued, hoping Lena would understand.  
“I’m a friend of Kai’s. She’s known me since I was a kid. She’s always been a sort of mentor and support to me, especially when I was having a hard time because of my alien side.”  
“Asking you to fuck a stranger is a lot to ask of a friendship,” Lena stated with a cool tone that sent a twist of pain into Rey's heart.  
“No, Lena,” Rey assured, “it’s not like that at all. She asked if I would be a subcontractor for the Agency because there was someone who none of her existing staff would be the right fit for. And now I think I know why,” Rey flashed one of the charming smiles Lena had quickly become so attracted to. “Besides her talent for knowing who is going to click with who,” they added.  
“And why is that?” Lena asked, still wary but a little more at ease.  
Rey looked up, cocking their right eyebrow at Lena, who sat back and raised her left in response, amazed that this bizarre conversation was actually turning flirty.  
“Not many people know this about me,” Rey said. “But I’m kind of bullet proof.”  
Lena’s mouth fell open. As soon as she could regain her composure she shut it. But the astonishment stayed with her. Had Kai managed to match her up with someone whose safety she wouldn’t have to constantly worry about?  
Lena burst into laughter, and Rey joined her. She reached for a strawberry, taking big bite and savoring the sweet tart flavor and this moment.  
“You’ve got to tell me more,” Lena said after swallowing.  
Rey explained about the energy absorbing extra layer of fascia under their skin, protecting their internal organs and primary nervous and circulatory systems. The more impact it was hit with, the more resistive it became. So a bullet or a knife, or even shrapnel, could pierce the exterior of the skin but wouldn’t go all the way through. The shock would be transmitted and absorbed by the complete system. Rey’s derma had its own separate secondary circulatory and nervous systems, allowing for sensitive touch and a response like a blush. It could be damaged, but only on a superficial level. “Don’t get me wrong,” Rey added, “it would hurt like a motherfucker, so I’m not anxious to try getting shot. But my life wouldn’t actually be at risk.”  
Lena was fascinated and thrilled.  
“I may have to send Kai some flowers,” she said.  
“I’m sure she would appreciate that,” Rey said. They looked at Lena and thought about how the weight of responsibility for those around her must be so heavy. How she seemed to bear that load with grace and determination.  
“You deserve a full and happy life, Lena,” Rey said, taking Lena’s hand in theirs. “And maybe we can find places where you can go out incognito and not have to worry so much. How does that sound?”  
“It sounds lovely. I’d like that very much,” Lena said, her eyes beginning to pool with tears.  
She still couldn’t quite believe this was real.  
They enjoyed more of the spread Robert had prepared, and joked and flirted for a while. The flirting got more intense. Rey led Lena over to her couch where the mid-day sun poured through the windows and warmed them up. They ended up with Rey holding Lena in their lap, her panties pulled down around one ankle, Rey’s fingers inside her, slow, gentle, coaxing her higher and higher as they kissed her throat, lips, shoulders, whispering words like, you’re so good, baby, I’ve got you, you feel so good.  
When Rey felt Lena’s body begin to tighten they curled their fingers, massaging her inside, increasing pressure and speed, and whispered, “Come for me, Lee.” Lena’s body rocked with the orgasm as her arms tightened around Rey’s neck and she buried her face between their shoulder and jawline. They helped her ride the waves down.  
Rey felt the wet of tears on their skin but didn’t say anything about it.  
Later, as they were saying goodbye, Lena said, “I have a business trip this week, and I won’t be back until next Tuesday. So you have time to think about it. Change your mind if you want.” They were at the door and she was back in her sweatshirt and chunky glasses.  
Rey almost rolled their eyes, but they knew Lena just wanted them to be sure.  
“It’s still a yes, Lena,” they said. “But I promise I will consider what all this means and if it’s what I really want.”  
Lena beamed. “Thank you, Rey. For last night and today. Thank you for understanding.”  
Rey slipped on their shoes and found that the suede had been brushed. They chuckled.  
“Tell Robert thanks for the delicious breakfast and for the shoe service,” they said.  
“I will,” Lena replied.  
They hugged goodbye and kissed one more time before Rey made their way down to their car in the secured private garage. 

Since she’d decided to take the whole weekend off, Lena retreated to her home office where she pulled up the encrypted file of her will, which she hadn’t amended since she took over as the head of Luthor Corp. She made notes for changes that were overdue and sent a copy to her estate lawyer. She started a fresh document to express her wishes on what arrangements she would like if she were to meet an untimely demise. An hour later she was satisfied. She walked back out into the living area of her apartment. Robert had cleared away breakfast and set out a few things for her in the way of a late lunch, including hot water for tea. Her bedroom and the rest of the apartment had been cleaned and set to rights.

There was another note.  
_I’m here if you feel like talking. —R_

Lena texted a reply. 

L: I’m good. Take the rest of the day off if you want.  
R: Can I tell Jess?  
L: No!  
R: Why won’t you let me live?  
L: Robert …  
R: Jess deserves this.  
Lena didn’t answer.  
R: She’s going to figure it out.  
Lena didn’t answer.  
R: She is more than just an executive assistant, you know.  
L: WHEN she figures it out, THEN you two can talk about it, you big gossip.  
R: [sparkle heart emojis]

 

When Rey got home they changed out of their date clothes and into a hoodie and shorts. They picked up their phone and started a text.

Rey: Hey, you didn’t mention that ppl have tried to kill Lena like 60 times  
Kai: No I didn’t  
Rey: Did you not think that was important?  
Kai: I knew she’d tell you and I knew you wouldn’t freak out on her. So no, I didn’t think it was important for ME to tell you. I knew she would tell you in her own way.  
How was your date?  
Rey: Perfect  
You were right  
Kai: Did you log your hours?  
Rey: *sigh* I’ll do it now, boss

Rey turned to their laptop and logged the hours from when Lena picked them up to when they kissed goodnight at the agency house door.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena comes in to work super happy. Jess notices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing Jess so much.

LENA’S BEST MONDAY EVER

Jess didn’t have a window, but she had two views: the view from her desk to the elevator and the view from her desk to Ms. Luthor’s door. In the few years she had been working for Lena, since she had become CEO, Jess had learned how to perceive a lot about a person in the way they walked from the elevator to her desk, or how they approached that door.  
And the person she had seen make that walk the most, by far, was Ms. Luthor herself. Jess usually knew in the first three steps off the elevator what kind of day Lena was anticipating. She could tell when she had a little too much scotch the night before. If her step was lighter but her hair was a wreck Kara Danvers probably kept her up too late with a ridiculous movie marathon and she hadn’t gotten as much sleep as she should. Every part of her look contributed to the story.  
So to say that when she saw Lena exit the elevator and stride toward her with an expression that Jess had never seen before and could not interpret was to say that Jess was intrigued but also a little … mad? … about it. Like, petty mad.  
Something had happened with Lena over the weekend to put a ridiculously wide yet closed-lip smile on her face, as if she were trying to hide it. Like when she had a plan to economically eviscerate one of the business rivals she hated most, or she had secured a new patent that would edge L-Corp even higher on the stock market, but it was a secret. Lena’s upper body curled sideways into a c-shape over her phone like the posture of a twenty-something, which Lena was but never acted like. Jess had no clue what this was about, and that was unacceptable. Lena looking at her phone was normal, but the … glow? … That was new.  
“Good morning, Jess,” Lena said, sounding stupidly giddy as she cast Jess a glance through her sunglasses and just sashayed by and through the office door in her special-occasion Louboutins and the black and white herringbone pencil skirt that she only wore when she was in conquering diva mode and a thin short sleeved black sweater that softened the whole thing. As if she was going to get away with that.  
Jess was so stunned she was motionless long enough for the door to swing closed behind Lena, which never happened. She stood, took her tablet in hand, and strode into Lena’s office.  
“What gives?” Jess demanded, one fist on her hip.  
Lena looked up, all innocence, with the most unconvincing I’m-not-hiding-anything face Jess had ever seen her attempt. She was a little disappointed to be honest. Something had seriously happened over the weekend. “Pardon?” Lena said. “I’m not sure what you mean.”  
“This,” Jess gestured in a wild circle toward Lena. “This aura of, of … What happened over the weekend?”  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jess.” Lena tried tactic number two, looking at her desk and the laptop and the floor as if searching for something, anywhere but at the face of her loyal friend and assistant. Jess began to think Lena was trying to provoke her on purpose.  
“Did you come up with a way to make Morgan Edge eat his teeth with that patent he’s trying to jump?”  
“No, but schedule a time for us to roll around some ideas later this afternoon,” Lena said excitedly. “Thanks for reminding me.” She acted like she was about to start checking email, opening her laptop.  
Jess pulled a power move. She moved the laptop back on the gleaming white surface and sat, right on Lena’s desk, blocking her precious screen. She set her own tablet down and added the touch of crossing her arms over her chest.  
“Lena Kieran Luthor, you will tell me what happened and stop fucking with me right now or I will make you suffer in ways that only I can and that you can’t prove that I’m doing on purpose.”  
Lena laughed outright and sat back in her chair and literally goddamn spun around in the thing. She looked down, blinking slowly in that coy way she had perfected, and then back up without lifting her chin, meeting Jess’ eyes from deep under her lashes, making her wait, before finally admitting, “I had a date.”  
“Without me knowing?!” Ok, Jess thought, this isn’t really about you, but still. You are in charge of the most important events in Lena Luthor’s life and you should have been informed. “I mean, that’s awesome! I mean, it looks like it must have gone very well. Who? What? Where? Tell me,” Jess demanded.  
Lena first shooed Jess off her desk with little waving hand motions. Jess was happy to take the seat across from Lena if that’s what it took to get the information ball rolling.  
“Well, their name is Rey,” Lena began, wondering where to start. She’d spent a lot of time with Rey on their first date, but a lot of information they shared about themselves was pretty private. “They are charming and intelligent, funny, kind, and quite hot,” Lena began. These were all pretty vague descriptions and Jess was not satisfied.  
“What gender is Rey?” was her first question, because Lena was bi as hell, followed by, “How do you spell Rey and what’s their last name?” which she was prepared to write in her notes for the day. Did Lena choke a little on nothing? “What do they do, and how did you meet them?” This was all ground-level basic info.  
“Ok, I know you probably don’t approve, but I had a contact from a long time ago to a very exclusive, extremely discreet dating service. I decided to give it a go, and that’s how I met Rey,” Lena said. “Rey’s gender is non-binary, so they use they/them pronouns, and it’s R-e-y,” Lena continued.  
“Oh,” Jess said. “One of my sister’s kids is non-binary.” Jess wasn’t going to pretend Lena hadn’t skipped four questions. “Last name and profession?”  
Lena winced and looked out the balcony window. “I’m just realizing I don’t know Rey’s last name. There wasn’t one on their profile.”  
Jess’ nostrils flared. She waited.  
“And Rey said their job was non-profit aid work, but something that involved other people’s security and asked if I wouldn’t mind if we didn’t talk about it.” Lena’s face was scrunched in apology by the time she turned back because she knew good and well what was coming.  
“Lena! Have you no concern for your own safety? This could be anybody! A serial killer! Somebody hired by your mother, which is basically the same thing. Someone who wants to con you out of money …” Jess continued her narrative of dangerous people Lena would likely end up dating if Jess left everything up to her.  
“God, Jess, I’m not stupid. The dating service does deep background checks on everyone. Settle down. Just trust me,” Lena said. And that was always the killer for Jess. She did trust Lena, in almost everything, but sometimes she would do foolish things for a little affection. And even though that was so, Jess didn’t want to deny her that either. Lena deserved affection, and love, and someone who made her giddy and made her light up like she was this morning.  
“Ok,” Jess conceded. “As long as you’re following the security protocols that we’ve set up. When do I get to meet them?”  
Jess thought she detected a flash of guilt on Lena’s face, but she was going to let it go. For now.  
“Well, I have the trip to Japan in two days, but I was thinking I’d ask Rey out again when I get back. Maybe I could have them meet me here at the office.”  
That was more like it.  
“That would be acceptable. Now let’s go over your schedule for the day,” Jess said, retrieving her tablet and putting order back into her world.  
She couldn’t help but worry, though. Trying to protect Lena required constant vigilance. Even Jess had made a huge mistake by hiring Alana, and by god she was determined nothing else was going to happen to Lena on her watch. If she had to be a little overprotective, so be it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena requests a second date. L-Corp Couch makes its first appearance.

SECOND DATE

Sitting on her bed with her laptop in an executive suite at the Hotel Cerulean, Lena opened up the client interface on the Agency’s website. She clicked on the Tuesday she would get back from Japan and selected the hours from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

She typed a note to Rey in the appropriate field.

_Hey, this is the day I get back from my trip. I know I’ll probably be a little wiped out from the flight, but I would love to see you. Are you up for a relaxed evening? Maybe dinner again? You can choose the restaurant -- somewhere I can be incognito. :-)_

She reread her message for typos and to be sure she hadn’t unintentionally written any of it in Japanese. She hit send.

Across the globe Rey felt their phone vibrate in their back pocket. They were helping an Angtuan get an apartment. His was a race that evolved on a planet with thick noxious fumes, and they did not look human at all, so Rey needed to get him off the street. Off-Worlder Assist, the organization Rey had founded and pretty much ran by themselves, would pay for the apartment until Izzy Tyrone, the human identity that had been created for the Angtuan, got himself on his feet. Rey was confident they could find him work in one of the factories they had established a relationship with. Some companies were happy to look the other way on a few things to have employees who could work safely in environments where humans couldn’t. It was a win-win.

Rey signed the rental agreement for Izzy, who did not have appendages that could hold a pen. The landlord was another alien who OWA had worked with for years, ever since she had been new to Earth and needing help, too. She wanted to show Izzy some special amenities she had installed in the apartment, so Rey stepped into the hall and grabbed their phone to add Izzy to their grocery aid service. 

When they unlocked it they saw the notification from the Agency first. They made sure Izzy was not going to need them for a few minutes before opening it.

Rey read the note and smiled. They had to admit they had been thinking about Lena a lot and wondering when she would get back and when they could see each other again. The taste of Lena’s lips and the feel of her body had lingered in Rey’s mind, floating into their awareness at all times of day. Every morning when they woke up, they thought about feeling Lena tucked up against them, her round ass nestled into their lap. Their arm around her waist. Dark, sweet smelling hair filling their vision.

Rey looked at the hours requested and snorted at the end time. Probably when Lena had to go to work. Rey replied to the note.

_That sounds great. Not so sure how good I’m going to be at getting out of there at 7 tbh. I am not an early riser. Rey_

They hit send.

In Japan, Lena was surprised to get a reply so soon. She calculated what time it was in National City. It was a little after two in the morning for her, so just after ten the day before for Rey. 

_Is it acceptable if I leave for work and let you sleep in? Robert will be there to let you out._

She read it over, wincing a little at the formality of it. She changed _acceptable_ to _ok_ and sent it. 

Across the world, Rey could see Izzy was wrapping up with the landlord. They sent a thumbs up emoji in answer. Seconds later the end time was changed to 10 a.m. Oh, shit, Rey thought. They hadn’t meant Lena had to pay for more hours. They would fix that later, but for now they hit accept for the date and went back into the apartment.

____

The flight back from Japan had been long, to be certain, but in the luxury accommodations of first class Lena had been able to get some sleep and hit the ground running at L-Corp without much difficulty.  
She had texted Rey to meet her there at 7:00 and before she knew it the time had come.  
She had just closed the files she would give to R&D about the new information she had gotten overseas when she heard Jess’ tap on the door.

She looked up to see Rey, looking handsome in dark jeans with a wide brown belt and a crisp burgundy-brown button down that complemented their skin color.

Lena beamed and walked over to them, barely noticing Jess slipping out and closing the door.  
“Hello, stranger,” she said. “It’s so good to see you again.” She ran her hands up Rey’s chest and around their neck. Rey stepped into her and wrapped their arms around her waist.  
Lena leaned in, her lips close to their ear. “Is it ok if I kiss you?”  
Rey nodded gently and turned their head to meet her lips. The kiss was slow and full and left them both a little breathless.  
“It’s good to see you, too,” Rey said. “I thought about you a lot while you were gone.” Rey pulled back and gathered Lena’s hands in theirs. They would love to get lost in Lena’s lips for a while, but they were actually pretty hungry.  
“You look great, but you’re going to be a little overdressed for this restaurant. It’s an Ethiopian place I know on the other side of town. The menus are laminated placemats.”  
“No worries. I had Robert bring over a few options for me. I’ll just go change,” she said, inexplicably waving toward one of her office walls.  
Rey replied, “Ok,” then watched Lena place her palm on the wall and a door-sized panel popped open, revealing another room inside. She slipped inside and left Rey alone in the office. Rey was about to take a seat on the pristine white couch when there was a gentle knock and the other door opened. Jess stepped in, saying, “Ms. Luthor, I’m … ” and stopped when she saw it was just Rey in the room. She looked from Rey to the open laptop on Lena’s desk.  
“She’s changing,” Rey said, waving vaguely at the wall.  
“Oh. Good. Right,” Jess said, stepping over to the desk and closing Lena’s laptop. “I was just going to let her know I was leaving.”  
Rey stepped over to her, holding out their hand and smiling warmly. “I didn’t get a chance to really introduce myself earlier. You must be Jess. Lena speaks very highly of you.”  
Jess looked completely unsold by the charm, but shook Rey’s hand then crossed her arms over her chest.  
“She was a little vague on you, Rey. That makes me concerned.”  
Rey raised their eyebrows. This wasn’t going well.  
Jess continued.  
“Obviously she enjoys your company a great deal, but if you don’t mind, I would like to do a cursory security check on you just to be sure Ms. Luthor isn’t at any risk. You understand.”  
Rey was taken aback. “Uh. The, uh, mutual friend who introduced us. Lena trusts their, um, recommendation so, that’s … ah … already taken care of?” Rey bumbled through weakly.  
Jess advanced on them, eyes narrowed.  
“Mutual friend? Lena told me it was a dating service.”  
Rey was a little relieved at least to know how Lena had explained their meeting. “Yes, yes it was,” Rey said. “I didn’t know if she had told you that part. So, they do the security checking prior to any introductions.”  
“I like to have my own verification,” Jess said, narrowing her eyes. “What’s your last name and where do you work?”  
Rey blinked, hoping their nictitating membrane stayed out of sight.  
“I don’t use a last name,” Rey said. “I understand your concern. Really I do. Lena has told me about all the assaults and assassination attempts.” Rey had an idea and fished out their wallet, pulling out their driver’s license, which listed their home address. “I’m not trying to hide anything, but my job is kind of sensitive and involves protecting people at risk, so I don’t disclose that to most people.” They held up their license and Jess scrutinized it. Rey knew they were memorizing the address and would dig more.  
“I just want to show Lena a good time and be nice to her. I don’t have any ulterior motives. I know you and Robert care about her a lot.” Jess looked surprised that Rey knew about Robert. He was, in general, a very well kept secret. “You’re like her family.” At that, Rey saw Jess visibly stiffen, and Rey rushed to correct themselves, “Not like the Luthors! Like, like chosen family, a loving one, you know.”  
“Yes, I know,” Jess said, her posture easing slightly. “Ms. Luthor is a special person, and she’s very dear to me. If anything were to happen to her,” she began.  
“I know,” Rey interrupted. “I promise I will keep my eyes open and do my best to keep her out of danger. We’re going to a very low-key restaurant where nobody knows what any CEO in this city looks like and doesn’t really care.”  
“Ms. Luthor has also been on the news a great deal,” Jess reminds Rey.  
“Please give me a chance, Jess,” Rey asked. “I really like her.”  
At that moment, Lena emerged from the ensuite wearing tight black jeans, knee-high leather boots, a light pullover sweater that hung off one pale, perfect shoulder, plus sunglasses. Her hair was loose and her lips were deep, dark red. She was tucking something into her purse as she asked, “How do I look?” Then she looked up and saw that it wasn’t just Rey in the room. “Jess?”  
Rey laughed. “You look stunning. You suck at not being noticeable, Lena.”  
Lena’s brow furrowed. Jess chuckled.  
“They’re right, Lena. You look like you came off a runway,” Jess added.  
Rey exchanged a warm glance with Jess and thought maybe they would get the chance they had asked for.  
“I’m trying,” Lena pouted. “What should I do?”  
“Let’s try losing the sunglasses,” Rey suggested. “That just screams look at me when it’s dark outside.”  
Lena took them off. Her eye makeup perfectly framed her crystalline green eyes.  
“Do you have your chunky glasses you wore the other night?” Rey asked.  
Jess was shocked. Lena had to truly feel comfortable with someone to wear those.  
“No, I don’t,” Lena said, sounding a little disappointed.  
“Wait,” Jess piped in. “I have one of your spares in my desk. I’ll go get them,” she said as she speed-walked from the office.  
“Of course she does,” Lena commented, and Jess was back in just a moment, handing them to her.  
“Bring them back,” Jess said sternly.  
Lena put them on and waited for the next evaluation.  
“Maybe her hair in a side braid?” Jess suggested, speaking to Rey, who nodded. Jess made quick work of a braid that started in back and came in front of her left shoulder, and that definitely helped to make Lena look a little less attention grabbing.  
Lena stood, rolling her eyes at the efforts of her friend-slash-assistant and her lover undoing everything she had just done to look hot for her date. They were both still eyeing her like Michael Caine scrutinizing Sandra Bullock in “Miss Congeniality.”  
Rey and Jess looked at each other as if exchanging a thought telepathically and nodded. Lena cocked her head at them. How had Rey gotten on Jess’ good side so fast?  
Rey looked to Lena and said, “I can’t believe I’m suggesting this, because just … it’s so damn hot … but can you take off your lipstick?”  
Lena lolled her head back like an exasperated teenager and returned to her private restroom.  
Jess looked at Rey. “You might be all right,” she said.  
“I won’t let you down,” Rey promised.  
“Fuck up once and I will end you.”  
Lena came back after a few minutes looking much more adorkable and less riveting.  
“Better?” she asked. Her pink lips were a little plumped from the lipstick removal.  
“Absolutely,” Rey said, reaching for her. “Still incredibly beautiful but maybe every eye in the room won’t be magnetically drawn to you.”  
“I’m going home now, Ms. Luthor,” Jess said, smiling as she walked to the door. “Enjoy your evening.”  
Lena looked over in time to catch Jess winking at her. “’Night, Jess!” Lena called to the closing door. She turned her attention back to Rey.  
“I was trying to look really nice for you tonight,” she said, a small pout of disappointment on her lips.  
“I know,” Rey said. “And I appreciate it. And you look wonderful,” they assured. “Let’s let you be T.M. tonight and not Lena Luthor”  
“T.M.?” Lena asked.  
“You know, from your card,” Rey said. “I don’t know what your pseudonym is.”  
“Ah. Tess Mercer,” Lena supplied.  
Rey smirked, “Sounds like a 1940s private eye. How about I just call you Lee when we’re out?”  
Lena smiled. Rey was the best thing to happen to her in a long time.  
“That’s perfect,” she said. 

Hector drove them to dinner in one of Lena’s less conspicuous cars. Rey left their car at L-Corp. Lena had been to Ethiopia on business and already knew some favorite dishes from the menu, but she ordered a few things she hadn’t tried as well. Rey promised to eat anything she didn’t finish and that helped disguise their larger than average appetite. 

When it was time to pay, Rey stayed Lena’s hand as she reached for her card. Lena rolled her eyes at them, “Rey, please. Don’t be ridiculous.”  
“Let me get this, Lee,” they said. Lena was about to argue when Rey gestured to ask to see her credit card. She handed it to them. Rey read it and with a deadpan expression held it up for Lena to see for herself.  
“This has your name and your company name on it. You suck at incognito, Lee,” Rey said. Lena’s shoulders slumped.  
“Maybe you’re right,” she admitted. Rey laughed.  
“Yeah,” they said. “Maybe.” They tucked their own credit card into the bill sleeve. Besides, you’re paying me enough to be able to afford to take you to dinner, Rey thought. And it immediately made them feel terrible. They were glad they hadn’t said it out loud. They weren’t used to this, being paid to go out with a person who, in a more fair world, should be able to date anyone of their choice. The thought of an unfair world reminded them to look around the restaurant discreetly, making sure no one had recognized Lena, that no one looked ready to toss a grenade or something. Everything looked ok and normal.  
Lena texted Hector, who had dined at the bar, and they made their way back to L-Corp.  
Lena asked Rey if they would like to stay at her place that night, as if she hadn’t reserved the hours already.  
There wasn’t a privacy divider in this car, so Hector, try as he might to be completely focused on driving, could obviously hear anything they said to each other.  
“I’d love to,” Rey said. “I’ll just get my car and come over.”  
Hector dropped Rey next to their car and waited until they had gotten inside and started the engine before slowly driving away. Making sure Rey left the parking deck without incident, Rey noted. Little safety measures like this were becoming more and more apparent to Rey. 

Rey parked in a visitor’s slot at Lena’s building and retrieved a small overnight satchel they had brought with a change of clothes and their own toothbrush and such.  
Rey greeted Clare and went through the full security process again. No step was skipped just because they have been here before, Rey noted. The bag went through a scanner.

Lena meant what she said when she asked for a low-key evening. When Rey got there she had already peeled off the tight jeans and changed into soft shorts and a tee. She was barefoot. She took Rey’s hand and led them inside.  
“Would you like to change into something more comfortable? We could watch something before going to bed,” she said. Rey was comfortable already, but figured it would be good to change into something softer for couch snuggling. They changed into basketball shorts and a plain white undershirt and met Lena in the living room in front of the TV.  
She looked over and assessed Rey’s own style of lounge wear.  
“Cute,” she said, grinning at them and checking them out up and down.  
Lena had pulled up a new show Rey had heard good things about.  
“This ok?” she asked.  
“Yeah, sounds good,” Rey said. They snuggled together on the couch, and it wasn’t long before Lena moved to put her head in their lap. She was asleep in minutes.  
Rey let her sleep until the show played out then carefully got up from the couch and easily picked Lena up in their arms, trying not to wake her.  
Lena came out of her doze as Rey was walking to the bedroom.  
“Oh, I’m sorry I fell asleep,” she said.  
“It’s ok. I’m sure you’re exhausted,” Rey said.  
“You smell really good,” she said and started to kiss Rey’s neck, making Rey inhale a sharp breath.  
“Oh,” they said. “Maybe not that exhausted.”  
Lena giggled into their neck and nibbled at the skin there. Minutes later they were both naked and enjoying a slow rhythm of skin to skin, chest to chest, thigh to crotch motion, grinding and rocking, lips roaming on each other’s skin.  
Braced above Lena, Rey reached between them and slid their hand between her thighs.  
“Oh, Rey,” she said and wrapped a leg around their waist.  
Rey kept it slow and easy, sliding inside and stroking gently. The back of their thumb covered Lena’s clit and moved with the motion of their bodies.  
Rey felt as much as heard Lena take in a big breath that was followed by the pulsing throb of her orgasm around their hand, echoed in her body, and the soothing energy of it wrapped around them.  
They gently extracted their fingers from inside her and held Lena in their arms, feeling her fall asleep again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena has jet lag.

Lena woke with a start. She instinctively knew that it was still the middle of the night. She reached for her phone on the night table, moving slowly so as not to disturb Rey, whose arm was across her belly. It was 1:30. Great. 

She thought she might read some of the novel she’d started on the plane but decided to flip to the news, which she hadn’t caught up on since she’d left for Japan. She regretted it almost immediately. With just a glance at headlines she uttered a few choice swear words under her breath.  
Though Rey didn’t move from their spot nestled at her side, Lena heard their muffled voice.  
“That’s some pretty harsh language, Lena.”  
“Why do all these worthless bastards have to fuck up the world?”  
Rey didn’t know what she was talking about specifically, but they could think of a number of current news items that would fit, or just the news on any given day in general.  
“The question is how do we stop them,” Rey said, sitting up enough to look at the screen Lena was glaring at, then wishing they hadn’t. They nuzzled back into Lena’s chest, which was much better.  
“You know, if my standard of morality were a little less high and I weren’t so afraid of getting arrested, I could think of so many ways to take these guys out of the picture,” she grumbled.  
Rey laughed. “You should do it. People like you never get arrested,” they joked.  
Rey thought she would laugh, but Lena was quiet and oddly still. Rey felt like they were being stared at, so they looked up. They had been correct. One set of beautiful green eyes was locked on their own, and Lena’s face was pure incredulity.  
“You really know nothing about me do you?” Lena asked.  
“What?” Rey said.  
“Don’t you ever watch the news? Or read news sites?”  
“I focus on a few areas where I feel I can do something so that I don’t get overwhelmed. I filter my news feed,” Rey said.   
“I’ve been arrested, Rey,” Lena said simply, her tone fairly light for what she had just revealed.  
“No shit?” Rey asked, sitting up fully now.  
“Yes. This time last year I was in jail.”  
“Oh, fuck. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry, Lena. I … I … made an unfair statement based on an ignorant assumption and that was incredibly insensitive of me. I apologize,” they said.  
“It’s ok. You didn’t know. And you’re not wrong … about people like me. Usually. I wasn’t there long,” Lena said, putting a reassuring hand on their leg.  
“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Rey asked gently.  
“Not really,” Lena said. “Just … I was framed. Later exonerated. It took awhile because … ” and Lena stopped talking. It wasn’t something she wanted to get into right now. Already her mind was replaying flashes of green, that terrible van ride when she thought she’d probably end up dead. Seeing her best friend hurt so badly she’d collapsed. Hearing Supergirl cry out in pain … “It took awhile,” she said again, ending the story. She intentionally shoved the thoughts back into the spot where she kept the rest of her traumatic history.  
“I’m sorry, Lee,” Rey apologized again and held their arms open in invitation. Lena eagerly accepted.  
“I’m sorry I’m wide awake now. I forgot this usually happens when I get back from a trip to Japan,” Lena said, changing the subject.  
“I know something that might help you get back to sleep,” Rey suggested, smiling.  
Lena pulled out of the embrace and looked at them with a devilish grin, pushing them down flat on the bed and straddling them as she said, “Do you, now?”  
“Just an idea, really,” Rey said, teasing. “It’s up to you.”  
“Do you know what I’ve been thinking about on a daily basis since I’ve been gone?” she asked.  
Rey’s eyebrows rose in anticipation. “No, I do not. Please, enlighten me.”  
Lena leaned down and put her mouth next to Rey’s ear and whispered.  
“I’ve been wondering how it would feel to use my tongue on your magnificent interactive cunt.” Rey took in a sharp breath and felt the suggestion exactly where they bet Lena intended them to. “It’s lined with something like cilia, isn’t it?” Lena continued.  
Rey chuckled and felt the movement of it lift and rock Lena’s body where it was pressed to their own.  
“Yes, that’s exactly right,” Rey said. “You’re sure? You’re not freaked out by that even a little?”  
“Fuck, no,” Lena said. “May I?” she asked, her eyes smoldering and pupils blown wide. As soon as Rey nodded, Lena was easing down their body, kissing a trail along their skin until she reached the well trimmed soft curls.  
She explored with her palm, then fingertips. Rey spread their legs wider, watching Lena’s face as she traced the lines of their outer and inner lips, feeling the heat of sensation, feeling themselves get wet and ready and wanting.  
When they felt Lena use her thumbs to move the hood of their clit up and down their back arched off the bed.  
“Fuck,” Rey said.  
“So lovely,” Lena whispered just before extending her tongue and drawing it from bottom to top just outside their opening.  
“Oh, yes,” Rey muttered, feeling their toes curl.

With Rey so open and ready Lena could see the cilia-like structures that lined Rey’s vaginal canal. They were a soft gray blue and when she released a gentle husk of warm breath across the opening they collectively made a swirling motion. Rey moaned in pleasure.  
“Is it voluntary or involuntary movement?” Lena asked, hoping she wasn’t ruining the mood with biology questions, but she really wanted to know.  
“Mostly involuntary. I have some general control, like moving everything in one direction, but the complex undulations are involuntary. It’s a little like it has a mind of its own. You can only imagine how fascinated I was with myself when I discovered masturbation when I was a kid.”  
Lena let out a bark of laughter. “I’ll bet you were,” she said. “What does it respond well to?”  
“It will pull you where it wants attention,” Rey said. “Simple as that.”  
“What if I don’t do what it wants?” Lena asked, lifting her head to catch Rey’s eyes and lifting a devious eyebrow.  
“Why would you be mean like that, Lee?”  
“Because I’m a Luthor,” she said and laughed with convincing menace.   
“It’ll get more insistent and drive me crazy,” Rey said.  
“Hmmmmmm,” Lena purred. Rey thought they might be in for some tantalizing struggles tonight.  
Lena began to pleasure Rey in earnest, using tongue, fingers, nose, chin. Tugging little bites on their labia.  
Rey’s pleasure cortex was in the stratosphere. They heard Lena make a little grunt of frustration, though.  
Lena pulled away and sat up in a sort of yoga cobra pose.   
“I need a better angle,” she demanded, surprising Rey with a lilt of Irish accent in her voice. “Get up top,” Lena ordered, moving up the bed and lying on her back.  
Rey sat up. “You want me to … ah … ah …” they stuttered.  
“Plant yourself right here,” Lena said, pointing at her mouth and grinning wickedly.  
Who was Rey to deny that request? They did as they were told.  
Minutes later Rey had their knees spread wide, bracketing Lena’s head, and Lena had her tongue fully extended into Rey’s cunt, along with two fingers, the tips of which were sliding along an interior channel that had formed in the swollen flesh.  
With her other hand Lena began to massage the root of their engorged clit.  
“Fuck,” Rey shouted, simultaneously coming and splitting the walnut headboard of Lena’s bed with a sharp crack. The kept their grip as they rode the orgasm through, knowing the damage had been done, and Lena did not cease her ministrations until every wave had receded.  
“I broke your bed,” Rey said. Their brain wasn’t functioning highly enough to come up with anything else.  
“I know,” Lena said, winking, still badly with both eyes. “I’m kinda proud a’ dat.”

Rey sincerely was ready to and offered to return the favor and hopefully help Lena sleep, but she declined.  
“Nope. I feel a little bit like a rock star right now, and I want to hold on to that. I’m going to read a little. You go to sleep.”  
Rey, having had one of the best orgasms of their life, did not have the energy to argue.   
___

A steady shaking in the bed woke Rey, who thought _earthquake_. They were wrapped around Lena and immediately rose and braced their own body over hers. If debris fell, they could withstand it for now, but they started looking for doorways and thinking about escape routes from the building that was still a little new to them. But when they looked around they realized the room wasn’t moving. It was Lena, trembling in the grip of a nightmare. She thrashed, and Rey moved to one side quickly, not wanting to make her feel trapped. They started talking to her. Not touching her. Telling her it was a dream.

_She was cold. So cold with that thin blanket and the threadbare uniform. The thermal shirt had been laundered a thousand times and held no warmth. The sounds. A fight. That sickly green glow and the snide man who made her think of that creep who’d followed her when she’d gone to sneak a smoke alone on a school trip when she was 13. The van and her mother. No. The bunker. Lex’s vault. That horrid noise that drove Supergirl to her knees. So helpless. So weak against these fucking metahumans of her mother’s vile creation._

_She fought but even the resistance of trying to get out of the cyborg’s grip hurt. It was like trying to fight her way through iron bars. One insignificant gesture from him threw her to the floor so hard … she felt the impact before the black closed in on her._

“You’re safe. You’re in your own apartment in bed. This is Rey. It’s okay. You are having a very bad dream. It’s not real.”

The words came through to her. They started to seep in. She was wound so tight she was ready to break. That feeling she was too familiar with. Ready to get punched. Get shot. Die. 

“It’s going to be ok. Can you wake up? You’re safe.”

Lena shot up in bed, eyes wide, breathing in heaving lungfuls of air. Gripping sheets in her fists. Looking around.

Rey. Worried. Her apartment. The bed. The lamp. Her book.

“Oh god,” she breathed and started crying.

“It’s ok. You’re awake now. You’re safe,” Rey told her. Ha, Lena thought. That would be the day. She was never safe. But still. It felt good to collapse in their arms. Rey held her for the rest of the morning, eventually falling into a sleep so deep they didn’t wake when Lena’s alarm went off. 

Lena showered and went to the kitchen, calling quietly for Robert. He appeared, as if from nowhere, seeing the wrought look on her face. He opened his arms and cradled her in a hug.

“I had a nightmare,” she told him. “With Rey here. It was bad.” Robert stayed silent. She still needed space to come out of it in her own way. “They just held me and told me I was safe. I hope I haven’t scared them off now. I’m such a fucking mess,” she said.  
“You’re not, really. But you always have me,” Robert told her. “Do you think you can eat?”  
“I know you’ll make something no matter what I say, so I’ll try. I’ve got to get ready for work.” With that she left the kitchen to get dressed. She turned down the fruit Robert offered and asked for one of the cards he was always leaving her and a pen.

_Rey,_  
Sorry you had to put up with that last night. I’m afraid nightmares are one of the ways that my past comes to get me. You handled it perfectly, so thank you for that. Robert can take care of anything you need this morning. I hope I can see you again, but I totally understand if you’re not up for this kind of Luthor drama.   
— Lee [heart] 

She left it on the kitchen island and asked Robert if he would make a big breakfast to be able to offer Rey when they woke up. He assured her he would. And he, just barely, respected her privacy and did not read the note.   
______

Rey woke up to find themselves alone in Lena’s bed. It was a blue, cloudless sky outside the wall of windows, and there was a large crack in the headboard.  
“Lena?” Rey called. There was no answer. They checked their phone. It was 8:12, so she was most likely at work already. They used the restroom and brushed their teeth then put on the shorts and tank they’d worn the night before.  
When they stepped into the kitchen they called out once more, just to be sure. “Lena?” There was coffee ready and fruit and yogurt set out, plus a few things looked ready for preparation on the counter.  
Rey opened their messaging app and began to text Lena.  
“Ahem.”   
“Fuck!” The sound of a gentle throat clearing behind them nearly scared Rey out of their wits. They literally jumped in the air, their third eyelid closing protectively, and spun around like a cat to find a handsome man, possibly in his forties but hard to tell, with short dark hair, shaved close on the sides, a well-groomed beard, and light brown skin standing quietly. “Christ, you scared me,” they said, looking down as the nictitating membrane receded quickly.  
“Hi, I’m Robert,” he said, extending a hand and smiling. “I wasn’t trying to, I promise.”  
“Hey,” they said, noting as they shook his hand that his grip was strong but politely restrained. They could see the muscles of his upper arms straining slightly at his crisp white button down. He wore faded jeans and comfortable looking loafers, no socks, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbow. “I’m Rey.”  
“Breakfast?”  
“Yes, that would be great, thanks,” Rey said. “I’m, uh, just going to text Lena and make sure she’s ok.”  
“She left you a note,” Robert said, moving to the stove and lighting the burner under a flat pan.  
Rey picked up the note from the island and read it. Jeez, Rey thought. I’m not going to cut and run because of a bad dream. They quickly changed their text.  
R: Hey, I’m up. Can I call you for a sec?  
Lena replied almost immediately.  
Lee: Of course. I have a call scheduled in 5 minutes though.  
Rey hit the call icon and walked over to the bank of windows on the far side of the room. They could see the L-Corp building from there and imagined Lena at her desk.  
“Good morning,” Lena said when she picked up.  
“Hey. How are you doing?” Rey asked, concern in their voice.  
“I’m fine. Much better. Thank you. For last night,” Lena said, quietly.  
“I’m glad I was here. I wish you had woken me up before you left,” Rey said. “I got your note. And yes, I definitely want to see you again.” They paused a moment before adding, “Dork.”  
Lena laughed.  
“Ok. Good,” she sounded relieved. “I had a wonderful time, up until the nightmare part.”  
“Me too,” Rey said, feeling a little bashful with Robert across the room and speaking as quietly as they could. “You can tell by your headboard. I am so so sorry about that.” Lena laughed again, and Rey loved the deep, rich sound of it.  
“Don’t worry about it. It cracked along the grain. I’m pretty sure I can have it repaired. Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll text you later, ok?”  
“Great. Perfect,” Rey said. “Have a great day, Lee.”  
“You too, love,” Lena said and hung up. Rey looked at their phone. Love? They liked it. If this were a regular dating situation they would definitely be having some feels. But it wasn’t. So those definitely weren’t deepening feelings they were feeling in their chest. Definitely not.  
Rey turned back and walked over to the kitchen where Robert had pancakes and sausage preparing. A mug of coffee was set out for them along with sugar and a cream pitcher. Rey added both and said, “Thank you, Robert. Will you join me?”  
Robert looked over his shoulder, a little surprised. “I’d love to.”  
“That smells wonderful, by the way,” Rey said.  
“It’s sweet potato pancakes. My own recipe. The sausages are local. I had time to shop this time,” he said over his shoulder.  
“Thank you for this. I really appreciate it. You and Lena are going to spoil me.”  
“It makes her happy,” Robert said.  
“What does?”  
“Doing nice things for other people. She says she does it to make up for the terrible things her family has done, but really it’s one of the few things that brings her joy.” Rey didn’t reply, hoping Robert would tell them more about Lena. “She seems pretty happy with you, too,” he said, placing a plate piled with pancakes and several sausages in front of Rey. “So far,” he added, meaningfully.  
“Are you going to give me the talk, too?” Rey asked, keeping their tone light. “Jess already told me she’d end me if I fuck up.” They dug into the food because it smelled too good to wait and they were always hungry in the morning.  
“Well, that sounds accurate enough. I’ll leave the threats to Jess. She’s corporate, she has to be hard. I, on the other hand, deal in the service industry. My motto is, You be nice, you get nice. So far you have been very polite and you don’t make a big mess and Lena really likes you,” he said. He poured more batter on the griddle and turned back to Rey. “She didn’t mention the … ” he said, making a swiping gesture over one of his eyes.  
Rey’s fork paused in mid air. Robert didn’t seem too troubled by what he had seen.  
“Does Lena know you’re an alien?” he asked.  
“Half alien. And yes,” Rey said.  
“Good,” Robert replied with some pep, his deep voice momentarily pitching a little higher, turning back to the stove. “It really irritates me when people lie to her or keep things from her. You’re golden for now.”  
When the pancakes were ready, Robert added two to Rey’s plate and kept two for himself, splitting the sausages between them. They ate in comfortable silence, but a question kept nagging at Rey. They decided the only thing to do was ask.  
“You seem really happy here, and I can tell you love Lena a lot. May I ask why you’re retiring?”  
“My family is in Puerto Rico. I want to go home where I can help more than by just sending money,” Robert said. “Otherwise I would stay. I don’t get much of a social life, but I don’t really mind that.”  
“Um, would you tell me more about what you do? I think I might know someone who could be really good at this sort of job,” Rey said.  
As he returned to the stove to make another serving for Rey, who had demolished the first, Robert considered how much trust he should put in Rey and how much to tell them. He decided he could give them a general idea without revealing too much.  
“Well, I’m mostly a glorified butler. I handle the cleaning, household and Lena’s wardrobe, I buy groceries, keep the wine cellar stocked. I’m available to do any errand or task Lena comes up with. Sometimes that’s a fun challenge. And I happen to be very good at hair and makeup, but that’s not a requirement. Anything I don’t do well Lena is happy to have me hire it out,” he said.   
“I also handle the household payroll for the drivers, security, and myself.”  
Rey nodded. Jules might be perfect for this, as long as Lena was willing to work with some of the things that made it hard for her to get a more traditional job. A limited ability to vocalize human language being one.   
Robert set his fork down and took a sip of his coffee. He looked at Rey, waiting until they paused and he was sure they were listening.  
“This position requires dedication and discretion. People don’t know I work for Lena. We use another name. Loyalty will follow because Lena earns it. But the discretion must be absolute. One other thing that I do, Rey, is handle household accounts, paying the bills,” he said, taking another sip and not breaking eye contact. “Including Lena’s personal credit card.”  
Rey was glad they were not swallowing at the moment. Robert was watching for their reaction. He knew somehow. At least part of it. Though the Agency billed under a vague name, he would notice something as out of the ordinary and expensive as what they charged for Rey’s time. Which reminded Rey that they needed to take off the hours when Lena wasn’t even here.  
They weren’t really sure what to say now.  
“I agree that discretion is very important,” they said.  
“Good,” Robert said with a smile again. “Keep that in mind when considering your friend’s suitability.”  
Rey nodded.  
“Now,” Robert said with a light clap, “I’m sure you’ll be on your way soon, but I happen to know Lena skipped breakfast entirely. How would you feel about dropping a little something off at her office?” he asked.   
Rey beamed. “That’s a fabulous idea! I was really bummed I didn’t get to see her this morning.”  
“I could tell. You looked positively forlorn,” Robert teased. He returned to the stove and resumed cooking.  
“What about Jess? Can I take anything to her as well?” Rey asked.  
Robert smiled. He liked this one. They were thoughtful.  
“Absolutely. If I know her, she’s had some morsel of something but not enough to feed a bird. It will be good to send her a little treat.”  
“The two of you seem to work like a tag team,” Rey remarked, hoping Robert knew it was meant as a compliment.  
“We are a fine-tuned Lena-managing machine,” Robert sang in an impromptu tune, grinning.  
Rey took their leave to get dressed while Robert finished cooking.   
When they returned, Robert had set out what looked like the highest tech to-go order Rey had ever seen. There were two rectangular metal boxes with rounded edges, each about three inches deep and the smaller one resting on top of the other with a carrying handle. It looked a little like room service gear, but more portable.  
“These are insulated so everything will stay warm,” Robert explained. You can carry it with the handle on top. They’re attached with electronic magnets, so just press the button on the side, here,” he pointed to the larger box, “to release the hold. The top one’s for Jess.”   
“Wow,” Rey said. “That is so cool.”  
Robert looked very pleased with himself. “I do my best. One other reminder, Rey, since it looks like you’ll be around, Lena likes to keep my presence here as private as she can. So other than the security team and Jess, just don’t mention me to anyone,” he urged.  
“Got it,” Rey said. They took the food in one hand and had their overnight satchel in the other as they walked to the door. Robert held it open for them. “Thank you for everything,” they said, setting down the bag to call for the elevator.  
“Have a good day, Rey,” he said. “I’m just going to go do some research on furniture repair.”  
Rey blushed furiously as the elevator doors closed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert sends breakfast to Lena via Rey. Rey meets Kara.

Rey was excited to bring breakfast to Lena and get to see her again after last night. Robert had suggested it would be nice to surprise Lena, and he had checked with Jess to make sure she would be free for a short break. Rey followed other L-Corp visitors through the security procedure. The high-tech boxes went through the scanner along with briefcases and purses. Rey walked over to the elevator bank for the top floors, joining a sunny blonde who was carrying takeout bags and a tray of coffees. Rey smiled at her and received a smile back and a somewhat curious look at the shiny container. 

As they stepped on the elevator together, the blonde beat Rey to pressing the button for the executive suite floor.  
“Thanks,” Rey said, noticing the woman pull down her glasses to look at the container again.  
“Good morning,” the woman said with a chipper smile and eyes burning with curiosity.  
Rey was in such a good mood they didn’t really care that they seemed to be being scrutinized.   
“Morning,” they piped back.  
As they got off the elevator, Rey realized that they were both headed to Lena’s office.   
____

Kara always stayed alert when she visited L-Corp in case any bad guys wanted to try something. When an attractive person in a soft lavender button-down and jeans got onto the executive suite elevator carrying boxes that looked like they could contain an explosive device, though, her suspicion skyrocketed. Of course she x-ray viewed the container. And sure, it looked like pancakes and sausage and some other food in there, but since when did Lena order breakfast from anywhere? And there wasn’t a restaurant logo on the person’s shirt or the containers. Was there some secret gourmet breakfast place she didn’t know about?

They seemed nice enough when they exchanged pleasantries. Maybe it was someone there for Jess or one of the other executives.  
Once the elevator opened they both headed to Jess’ desk, and Kara was all beaming smile and on high alert. Jess was smiling unusually brightly as she saw them both approach, so maybe this breakfast bento person was a friend of hers.

“Hello, Rey. Kara,” Jess said, sounding much more friendly to this Rey person than the icy way she said Kara’s name, and looking like she was barely containing a laugh.  
“Good morning, Jess,” Kara said, using her happy, nothing’s wrong voice.  
“Hey, Jess,” the other person said. They pressed a button on the side of the container and Kara was about to panic that she hadn’t stopped them, but nothing happened except they took the top box off and handed it to Jess.   
“This is for you,” they said. Jess opened it, revealing a little stack of silver dollar sized pancakes and half a sausage that had been cut for fancy presentation. It smelled incredible. And there was a little pot of syrup, too. Kara looked at her tray of coffees that didn’t seem that special anymore.   
“Here,” Kara said, handing Jess the coffee she had ordered knowing exactly how Jess liked it. “Also,” Kara mumbled, “for you.”  
“Thank you both,” Jess said and then pressed the button that activated her line to Lena’s desk.

“Ms. Luthor, Rey and Kara are here for you. I hope you’re hungry.”  
With her sensitive hearing, Kara distinctly caught Lena in her office saying, “Oh, crap,” but then laughing before she responded to Jess.   
“By all means, send them in.”  
___

Kara and Rey looked at each other. Rey was amused by the blonde’s territorial stance. Clearly she was no stranger here since she’d brought coffee for Jess. Jess had definitely been warmer with Rey than the other person, and that was interesting. 

Kara felt a little jealous for some reason and intensely curious. Who was this bringing breakfast for Lena? That was Kara’s special thing and she wasn’t sure she was ok with someone else bringing food to Lena. It could be poisoned or something.  
Jess opened the door for them.   
Kara gave Lena a radiant smile.   
Rey’s smile was still laced with steam from the night before.   
“Well isn’t this a lovely surprise?” Lena said wryly, with a bit of a blush and her own beaming smile. Seeing her unrequited love standing next to her new lover was hot as fuck … and awkward as hell. She couldn’t look at Rey and not think about the activities of the night before. Lena could feel it even now as she uncrossed her legs and rose to come to the front of her desk.   
Rey and Kara said their good mornings simultaneously and then glanced at each other and back to Lena, practically synchronized. Lena suppressed a laugh behind her hand, but not very well.  
“Well, let me do the introductions. Rey, this is my best friend Kara. Kara, my friend Rey,” Lena said.  
“Oh, the bestie!” said Rey, finding it interesting that Lena hadn’t mentioned having a best friend before. They extended a hand. “So nice to meet you.”  
“You, too!” Kara said, shaking Rey’s hand and darting her eyes to Lena. How did Lena have a friend who brought her breakfast who Kara didn’t know about? Had she been that absent from Lena’s life lately? Yes, she realized with some sadness, she supposed she had.   
“Kara if you would excuse us just a moment. Rey, before I forget, follow me …”  
Lena motioned for Rey to follow her into the ensuite. Rey put the food box down on the table in front of the couch and followed Lena, curious and glancing back at Kara before going through the panel door Lena had disappeared through the night before. 

Once the door was closed behind them, Lena turned to Rey.   
“Oh, Rey. I’m so sorry. Kara pops in with food for me all the time and … I … I … really like it. But she hasn’t done it in a long time because we’ve been sort of, well, out of sorts with our friendship lately, and I don’t want to scare her away or she’ll stop coming by for months again.” Lena felt like she was starting to ramble and could only hope that Kara wasn’t listening in.   
“Say no more,” Rey said. “Robert just thought you might be ready for some breakfast and asked if I would drop it by. I can split if you want.”  
“No, I definitely don’t want,” Lena said, threading a finger through one of Rey’s belt loops and tugging at it, pulling them to her and putting her arms across Rey’s shoulders, brushing the hair on the back of their head with her fingertips. “But if you wouldn’t mind hanging out with Jess for a few minutes, I can have a word with Kara and then you and I can share that breakfast that smells so magnificent?”  
Rey smiled at the promise of another breakfast together, but Lena seemed anxious about possibly hurting her friend’s feelings.   
“I’m glad we got to spend last night together. And I’m so glad I could be there for you,” Rey said, gently touching their forehead to Lena’s in their embrace. “And I definitely want to spend more time with you,” they assured her with a short kiss. “It seems like now would be a good time to reconnect with your best friend, though.”  
 _Fuck. Stop being so perfect,_ Lena thought to herself before she leaned in to give them a deep kiss that lasted a little longer than she initially intended. Lena moaned before she caught herself and pulled away.  
Rey had a huge smile on their face and was a little breathless. “Ok then. Let me go make my excuse,” they said and began to turn.  
“Wait,” Lena said. “I don’t want to tell Kara what’s going on … with us … just yet. I can explain later.”  
“Ok,” Rey agreed.   
“Can you try not to look so sexy?” she teased. Seriously, though, just the way Rey looked at her was getting her aroused again. Even as oblivious as Kara was sometimes, she was going to catch on, and Lena just wasn’t ready to share this with her.  
“I’m not sure that’s possible, but I can try,” Rey answered cockily. Lena couldn’t help but dip back in and take a playful bite at their lower lip.  
“Now I need an excuse for bringing you back here,” Lena said, looking around the suite. Rey finally had a chance to glance around the rooms. On one side there was a walk-in wardrobe with several business suits and dresses hung up, a rack of high heeled shoes, a full length mirror, a cushioned bench seat and a chest of drawers. On the other was a sink and mirror with makeup supplies, and in another room beyond was a toilet and an amazing looking walk-in shower.   
Lena finally plucked a tube off the sink counter and took Rey’s hand and led them back into the office.   
Kara was sitting on the couch, in the process of writing something in her reporter’s notebook.  
Lena pretended to be in mid-sentence with Rey, “and I swear it’s the only hand cream I’ve ever found that really lasts through a long day of paper shuffling.” Rey picked up the thread easily.  
“Thanks so much! You know I need that. And speaking of paperwork, I know I’ll have a pile waiting for me this morning.” They turned to Kara. “It was a real pleasure to meet you. I hope we see each other again soon,” and gave her a nod. “Bye, Lena. Catch you later,” they said and then sneaked in a wink as they turned to the door, making their exit.  
___

When Lena took Rey into her ensuite Kara knew it wasn’t about something Lena was afraid of forgetting. Lena didn’t forget things. And it was frustrating that Kara couldn’t see through that particular wall. She knew Lena was entitled to her privacy, of course, so she also tried not to listen in, focusing on the food instead, which was a mistake.   
Oh Rao, that smelled wonderful. Peering through the box again Kara could tell it was probably delicious and must be something Rey made for Lena. The box itself looked like some advanced tech Lena would design. Maybe Rey was one of the L-Corp engineers.  
She heard the murmur from inside go silent and listened for the latch. But the sound didn’t come. She listened a little more and could hear Lena make a noise she didn’t recognize. Oh! Oh. Oh. And though Kara was probably glad she couldn’t see through the lead-lined wall now, she also realized Rey was more than a friend. The thought made her skin grow a little hot. Why, she wasn’t sure, but suddenly she just wanted to get out of there.  
She pulled her reporter’s notebook from her bag and started to write Lena a note to let her know she’d come back another time.  
That’s when she heard the latch, so she stood up and tried to compose herself while Lena attempted to pull off a cover story about some stupid lotion. Why hadn’t Lena told her about Rey?  
After Rey left, Lena turned to her.  
“Thank you for bringing breakfast,” Lena said, gesturing to the Noonan’s bag. ”I’m sorry about the confusion.”  
“No, no!” Kara said, looking down and adjusting her glasses, embarrassed. “I really should text before popping over.”  
“No, Kara,” Lena said soothingly, “that’s okay, really. I’ve missed you.” Lena walked over and took Kara’s hand, hugging her before pulling her down to sit on the couch again. “I love it when you pop in. It’s always a lovely surprise, and it really makes my day.”  
Kara could see that Lena’s smile was genuine and she truly was glad Kara had come by. She was also practically glowing.  
“Since Rey had to go, I have an extra breakfast. Would you like to try it with me?”  
“That would be great!” Kara said. “I’d love that.” Kara had missed Lena, too.

As they ate, Lena deflected most of Kara’s questions about Rey, saying just that they had met through a mutual acquaintance and struck up a friendship. Kara was dying to know why Lena was keeping this secret from her. She told Lena everything! Well, not everything. Everything she could, she thought guiltily. Temporarily lost in her own thoughts, she almost missed Lena telling her she was having yet another clash with Morgan Edge.  
“The prick thinks he can steal my trans-matter portal patent, after the hell I went through to develop that technology?” Lena was saying. “Luckily I have a reward program in place if any of my employees is approached in an attempt at corporate espionage. One of the engineers in Japan let his supervisors know that someone had threatened his family to try to get information on the proprietary part of the tech.” Kara was paying close attention now. With Edge things could escalate quickly.   
“That’s terrible!” Kara said.  
Lena continued, “So now I’m having him feed them information from some of my more promising failures so they’ll think it’s real. While they try to get the bugs figured out, my people will get the prototype up and running and the patent will be secured by L-Corp.”  
“Gosh,” Kara said. “It sounds like you have things well in hand. What about the man’s family though? When Edge finds out the information wasn’t real?”  
“Hopefully nothing will happen. It will be too late and they won’t gain anything by hurting anyone,” Lena said, concern showing on her face. She paused dramatically before continuing, one eyebrow raised. “But just in case, an ‘auntie’ is now staying with the family who also happens to be a highly skilled security specialist. She’ll be there until everything dies down.”  
“You really think of everything, Lena,” Kara said.   
“I do my best.”  
“Well, just let me know if Edge tries anything here. I’ll … ” Kara stopped to think. She had been imagining dropping Edge in the Arctic this time. Lena waited patiently for Kara to come up with something. “I’ll really give him a piece of my mind.”  
Lena laughed and hugged her, saying, “That will definitely put him in his place.” Kara took in the way Lena always smelled so amazing and held on to the embrace. She was a little more aware than usual of her own chest pressed against Lena’s and how … good … it felt. More than good. And she pushed the thought away.   
____

After work, Kara decided to hit the DEO and see if Alex had some down time, or if maybe they could train or spar a little. She came in through the balcony entrance to find things pretty quiet and Alex reviewing prisoner reports at the command center.  
“Hey,” she said as she came over, slumping on the table next to her sister.  
“Hey, what’s up? You look mopey,” Alex said.  
Kara told Alex about her morning at L-Corp and what she had overheard.

“I’m her best friend. Why do you think she would keep something big like that from me?” Kara said plaintively as she scowled at her own reflection on the command control table. “Does she think I wouldn’t be happy for her or supportive?”  
“There could be a lot of reasons, Kara,” Alex said. “Maybe it’s new and she wants to see if it goes somewhere. Maybe they’re mostly friends and the physical part is just casual and she wants to keep that private. You of all people should understand that you have to let people tell you things in their own time. If you didn’t have super hearing you wouldn’t know and it wouldn’t make a difference, right?”  
“I guess so. I just feel kind of weird about it, and I don’t understand why. I’m happy she’s making more friends, but at the same time she’s _my_ friend, you know? She doesn’t have a lot of free time. What if she stops spending time with me?”  
“That’s not going to happen, Kara. You know Lena loves you.”  
Kara groaned loudly enough that a few agents turned to look. It was always best to be on your toes when Supergirl got grumpy.  
Alex cocked her head. “What was that about?”  
“Let’s go somewhere a little more private.”  
Alex nodded and they walked down to an empty training room. After closing the door, Alex turned to Kara. “Is everything ok?”  
Kara looked down and was playing with the cuffs of her suit sleeves.  
“Lena asked me to meet her at the botanical garden one morning a few weeks ago. To tell me something.”  
“What was it?” Alex asked, encouraging.  
“She wanted to let me know that she had feelings for me that were more than just friendship. That she loved me,” Kara said, letting out a breath and feeling a small weight lift from her chest now that she had told Alex. Alex took her hand and waited for her to continue. “At first it reminded me of Winn. And sort of James, and even Mon-El when I look back. All of them, we were better off as friends. Anyway, she told me she could tell I didn’t feel the same way and that she didn’t plan to do anything about it. And I told her I really needed her as a friend.” Kara was crying now but she wasn’t sure why.  
Alex took her in her arms and held her tightly, rubbing her back.  
“Why do you think she told you if she didn’t plan to pursue it?” Alex asked.  
“She said she just wanted me to know, in case I ever felt differently.”  
“Ok. And why are you so sad now, though?”  
“It’s like she’s moved on already, and it was only a few weeks ago.”  
“She’s still your friend, Kara.”  
“I know! But before, she felt like … _mine_.”

The klaxon alarms sounded, putting both of them on high alert. Alex touched her comm piece. “Report.”  
Vasquez responded, “There’s a problem in the containment cells. One of the detainees has been riling up the rest and now they’re just flinging themselves against the walls and force fields. We may need medical assistance by the time we get them calmed down.”  
“Put the med response on alert. I’ll be right there.”  
“I can help,” Kara said.  
“No. Go home and rest. Get your feelings sorted out. You’ve been in a funk for a while and you could use some down time,” Alex said, giving her a quick hug and running toward the fray.  
Loud bangs and thuds reverberated through the halls as Supergirl returned to the balcony and launched into the night, unsure of where she was going or how she was supposed to sort feelings she didn’t understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're an artist and you like this ship, let me know. I would love to commission some art of Rey and Lena.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey takes Lena to roller derby.

R: Hey, Lee. How would you feel about roller derby this Saturday?  
Lee: What is roller derby?  
R: Omg. You kill me. K, you’re coming with me. 5:00 to 9:00. Will be food trucks, but they’ll have something you like. Promise  
Lee: Well, I guess I’m going then.  
R: You are going to love it. Plus you can meet some of my friends  
Lee: You want me to meet your friends?  
R: Of course  
Lee: Ok  
R: Dress casual and comfortable. No heels  
Lee: *eyeroll emoji*  
R: Yes, I’ve met you. I’ll pick you up. Just let me know where.  
Lee: Can you stay after?  
R: Love to

Lena pulled up the Agency client interface and sent a time request that included Saturday night and into late Sunday morning.  
Rey got a notification.

R: Lee, I asked you out. I didn’t mean for you to have to book me.  
Lee: That’s the agreement, Rey. You are a terrible business person.  
R: *eyeroll emoji*

 

Rey drove to pick up Lena at home in their hatchback so that they wouldn’t draw attention with a chauffeured car at derby. One of the security people waved Rey into the valet loop before they could park, so Rey drew to a stop and rolled down the passenger window.  
It was a white dude, so Rey was a little wary. In a Nat City Supers t-shirt and worn jeans with rips in the knees, Rey was the most casually dressed they had been to show up at Lena’s. And their hatchback was most definitely not in the realm of what this valet drive ever saw.  
“Hi, I’m Harry. You must be Rey,” he said, smiling and leaning down to the window with his hands behind his back, but not in the window.  
“Yes. Is something wrong?” they asked with the most monotone, pleasant voice they could manage as their heart pounded a little.  
“No, no, not at all,” Harry said with a big smile. “Ms. Luthor called down and said she would be just a minute and suggested we ask you to wait here for her, if that’s ok.”  
“Oh,” Rey said. “Ok.” Rey put the car in park. Part of Rey was wondering if this was weird and suspicious and part of them wondered if it was just how Lena liked to try to be extra accommodating sometimes. Harry touched a finger to his ear momentarily.  
“She’s coming down now,” he said and grinned broadly as if he was in on some secret that Rey wasn’t aware of. “Very nice to meet you,” he concluded and gave them a little salute.  
Rey was a little dumbfounded, but sure, they would go along with that. “Yeah. Me too,” they said. They definitely didn’t want to get on security’s bad side.  
True to his word, Harry stepped aside and opened Rey’s passenger door just in time for Lena to step out of the main glass doors of her building and slip into the car. Rey barely had time to take in what was going on as Lena buckled her seat belt, leaned over to kiss their cheek, and said, “Let’s go.”  
Dutifully, Rey pulled away, shaking their head, and said, “That was kind of weird. What’s going on?”  
Lena sighed. Rey waited. Obviously she knew.  
“My staff are contractually bound not to say anything to anyone not under the same contract about my comings and goings or anything they observe about my life,” Lena said, crossing her arms.  
“And … ” Rey offered.  
“So they are magnificent gossip mongers amongst themselves, apparently, and your staying over a couple times is the most positive, non-life-threatening event since I moved here.”  
“Is that so?” Rey said, laughing.  
“According to Robert I’m like James Bond with all of the near-death misses but none of the sex, and the highly trained security staff in my employ deserve to feel ‘a little joy on your behalf, for god’s sake, Lena,’” she said, gesturing with air quotes.  
Rey let out a straight-up giggle and Lena glared at them, letting fly a horizontal smack with the back of her hand to their bicep.  
Rey gave a token, “Ow,” just to appease her. It didn’t hurt at all.  
“It’s not funny. Apparently Clare has been, for security purposes, sharing stills and video of you so that the team will recognize you, but lording it over everyone else that she’s the only one to have checked you through in person.”  
“No,” Rey said.  
“Yes,” Lena confirmed.  
Rey headed to the lower end of midtown on a main avenue. For all of the luxury Lena was conditioned to, she seemed fairly comfortable in Rey’s economy hatchback.  
Lena wasn’t forthcoming, so Rey prompted her.  
“So what was this abouttonight?”  
“Robert bargained with me to have security get you to pull up to the door so that another person on my staff got to say hi and meet you in person.”  
“Why do they want to meet me?” Rey asked, genuinely confused. They looked over when Lena didn’t say anything and she was blushing furiously. “You don’t have to answer that,” Rey said, realizing the answer might be a little too embarrassing to Lena.  
“No. It’s ok. Apparently I have a spring in my step that I didn’t before and they just want to see who to credit that to.”  
Rey reached over and took Lena’s hand.  
“You seem really uncomfortable with this. I’m surprised Robert would be ok with that.”  
“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable,” she says, then more quietly, “It’s just that they’re right. I haven’t been this happy in a long time. I’m just not used to people being happy for me.”  
“Oh,” Rey said, understanding. “I guess … with everything that’s happened,” they said, not wanting to mention her family specifically, “ … you don’t get that much.”  
“Well,” Lena said, “In small doses maybe. But it always seems to get complicated.”  
“Everybody I’ve met who works for you seems to really care about you, Lena,” Rey said plainly.  
She looked down again and fumbled with her hands, saying nothing. “It’s totally ok to feel awkward and unused to that,” Rey said. “It’s not unusual at all.”  
“Really?” Lena asked.  
“Yeah. Really,” Rey said, and pulled into a parking lot. They were a little bit mad that Lena had never really been treated the way she deserved, but they set it aside for now. The parking lot was already quite full, so they pulled behind the building and parked in the shade on the far side of the lot.  
“This is it?” Lena asked.  
“Yep!” Rey replied. “In all its glory.”  
Lena looked into the back of Rey’s hatchback and noted the hanging file container and a first aid kit and a case of water and a non-branded case of something else liquid that she didn’t recognize.  
Rey noticed her scrutiny and felt they should say something. “I work out of my car sometimes,” they said.  
Lena just nodded and stepped out of the car into the heat of the day.  
This was the first time Rey had really had a chance to take in what Lena was wearing.  
Robert had come through with some casual wear, and they might have been brand new, but Lena Luthor was wearing Chucks. Her jeans were distressed enough to look worn, and she was wearing a simple spaghetti strap tank with a zip up hoodie over it. It was still bright afternoon daylight when they parked, and Lena was wearing orange-tinted reflective sunglasses that didn’t look out of place in the crowd as they walked up to the courtyard. Her hair was in a braid again and she completely fit in with the rest of the crowd.  
They made their way to the Will Call tent where a skater who had been taking names stood up, rounded the table, and crushed Rey in a hug.  
“Rey Rey!” she practically yelled, “It’s so good to see you! Where’ve you been? We miss you!”  
“I miss you too, Shay,” Rey said. They stepped back and said, “This is my friend, Lee. Lee, this is Help, Help, Shave Me, or Shay for short.”  
Lena snickered at the name, but she knew how to work a room, or a courtyard space if need be, so she said, “Pleased to meet you, Shay,” and offered a hand.  
“You bet!” Shay said, looking at Rey and uttering, “Damn, they,” which was Shay’s version of ‘damn, girl’ with Rey.  
“Shut up,” Rey said. “Can you get our wrist bands?”  
“Yeah, yeah!” Shay said, and set them up with paper bands to get admission to both bouts.  
As they walked away from the tent, Lena leaned into Rey and said with the same inflection Rey had used on her earlier, “That was kind of weird. What’s up? Does everyone know you here?”  
“I was fresh meat for a while,” Rey said. Lena obviously didn’t know what Rey was talking about. Rey led her by the hand inside, and Lena swapped her sunglasses for the chunky ones in a case from her purse. They wove their way through the crowd toward some bleacher seats by the far wall, near the team benches. “It means I was a rookie trying out to get on a team. I was going to follow in my sister Dana’s tracks, so to speak. But I had a hard time holding my extra strength back when it got really competitive, then things kind of picked up with my job and I couldn’t make the time commitment.”  
“You know you still haven’t told me what your job is,” Lena leaned forward and whispered into their ear as they stopped to wait for some people to settle onto floor seats before they moved on.  
Rey considered for a moment and turned to reply, “True. How about I tell you tonight when we get back to your place?”  
Lena nodded, smiling softly, and said, “I’d like that.”  
Rey turned and surveyed the open space of the rink and the benches where one team was huddled while the other warmed up. They turned back to Lena.  
“Most everybody here has no idea who you are, but if it’s ok with you, I’d like to introduce you to an old friend who will. Is that ok?” Rey asked.  
Lena cocked her head. “I guess so. How would she know me?” she asked.  
Rey winked and said, “You’ll see.”  
With no warning, and a voice that carried far more than Lena thought Rey had the capacity for, they cupped their hands around their mouth and yelled, “Sex!”  
One player from the huddle straightened and looked toward Lena and Rey. Before she even caught Rey’s eyes she shouted back, “What?!” Then she saw Rey waving above their heads. “Sugar Rey!” she called as she took her leave of the huddle, which was breaking up, and skated over. “How you doin’?!” she asked as she braked to a stop and wrapped Rey’s shoulders in an affectionate hug.  
“Sugar Rey?” Lena leant over and inquired softly in Rey’s ear.  
“Hush,” Rey said. “You didn’t hear that.” In the meantime, the skater, named Sex, apparently, was scrutinizing Lena as if she recognized her but couldn’t place her.  
“I’m good. I’m good,” Rey said to Sex, bringing her attention back to them and leaning in so that they could speak quietly. “Hey, I wanted you to meet my friend, Lena,” they said, cocking their head slightly in Lena’s direction.  
The introduction didn’t go exactly the way Rey hoped it would, but it was certainly dramatic. Sex totally freaked out and almost started hyperventilating, covering her mouth with one hand as she suppressed a squeal and holding the other out in front of her as if to stop the world from turning for a moment.  
Lena took that hand in both of hers as Sex bent at the waist, taking deep breaths, and said, “Are you ok?” looking to Rey for guidance.  
Rey seemed understanding, but also nonplussed. “Sex, get your shit together.”  
For her part, Sex pulled a big lungful of air in and managed to straighten up, nearly a foot taller than Lena on her skates. She gasped in a whisper, “No way! For real? No fucking way! Holy shit!” and started to breathe a little too heavily again. Her expression looked like a pageant winner who couldn’t settle between smiling or crying.  
“Calm down,” Rey said, nodding toward Lena. “You’re scaring her.” That seemed to make Sex gather herself and get her emotions under control. Lena was completely perplexed but trusted Rey’s calming demeanor.  
“Sorry, sorry,” Sex said. “I’m so pleased to meet you, Ms. Luthor,” she said, surprising Lena even though Rey had told her this was someone who would know her. Lena searched her memory and couldn’t place the woman’s face. The tall, pale, and well muscled skater continued to gush, “I can’t believe you’re actually here!” Sex offered a gloved hand to shake. Lena took it, saying, “It’s Lena, please. Any friend of Rey’s,” and let the implication stand.  
The skater, Sex, was grinning crazily and still shaking hands when Rey interjected.  
“Hey, Sex, show her the back of your uniform.”  
“Oh! Sure!” Sex said, and pivoted on her skates.  
Sex turned in one fluid motion so Lena could see her derby name, Sex Luthor. Lena burst into laughter, doubling over.  
Sex, the skater asked, “I hope you don’t mind. I’m really a fan of yours.”  
“Really?” Lena asked, recovering.  
“Oh, hell yeah,” Sex Luthor confirmed. “You are the sexiest badass CEO out there. Ever since I was working on my engineering degree in college I’ve been following your career.”  
Lena looked a little bashful, “Well, thank you. You are officially my favorite derby skater now,” she said.  
Sex Luthor was overwhelmed with excitement. “Yeah! Rey, can we get pics, please?”  
Rey looked to Lena, who nodded her consent. They obliged and took some photos of the two of them on Sex’s phone and their own. Lena asked Sex, with her long arms, if she would do a selfie of the three of them. It’s her first photo of Rey and her together.  
Sex asked, “Is it okay if we post these on social?”  
Lena looked somewhat regretful about the answer she had to give. “I’d rather you didn’t. It draws a little too much attention, and I’d like the paparazzi not to know that I came here so that I can come again sometime,” she said simply.  
“I totally get that, Ms. Luthor,” Sex said. “No problem.”  
Lena raised her eyebrow at Sex, unwittingly fulfilling a dream for the skater, who quickly corrected herself. “I mean Lena,” Sex said, grinning and looking bashful.  
“Ok, go slay hard play hard, Sex. We’re gonna find seats,” Rey said. “And keep this quiet. I mean it.”  
“You got it. We are so talking later, though,” Sex said as she skated back to her team.  
Rey nodded and took Lena’s hand. “Thanks for indulging me in that,” they said. Lena blushed, “Well, it was totally worth it to meet my fan.”

Lena followed Rey to seats in the stands with some of the retired players and skaters’ partners and family. Rey introduced Lena around as Lee.  
“Rey, you ever gonna leave any of the cute ones for the rest of us?” asked a woman in a leather jacket and deep laugh lines around her mouth and eyes.  
“You might do better if you knew how to act,” Rey told her. Lena bumped her shoulder into Rey’s playfully, enjoying seeing them get teased by their friends.  
During the skater introductions Lena squealed in delight when they announced the player named Girl of Feel.  
“Oh my god, I have to tell Kara!”  
“Kara? Why, what’s the connection?”  
“Oh, Supergirl, Girl of Feel. Kara would love that.” Rey still looked a little lost.  
“Big fan?” they asked.  
“Um, they’re friends.”  
“Your friend is friends with Supergirl?” Rey asked, not really believing it.  
“I’m friends with Supergirl,” Lena said, incredulous. Though, now that she thought about it, Supergirl never stopped by just to chat or …hang out. That was Kara. But technically she was friends with Supergirl. “Is that what’s finally going to impress you?”  
Rey laughed. “You don’t need to try to impress me.” They leaned in to speak quietly in Lena’s ear, “You already do, with your compassion and kickass brain and that killer smart mouth.” And Rey couldn’t help but move closer when Lena looked at their lips in response, kissing her there on the bleachers as the whistle blew to start the first bout.  
___

While the Nat City Supers faced off with the Gotham Ivies, Rey explained the basics and pointed out different blocks and strategies as they happened on the track.  
At halftime they waited in line to get dinner from the food trucks, with Lena choosing a tofu veggie rice bowl and Rey ordering two burgers. Rey paid and Lena didn’t fight them on it this time. While they were distracted Lena discreetly changed Rey’s initial in her contacts to Sugar Rey. 

Throughout the matches, Rey’s friends would occasionally tease them about never skating even though they showed a lot of promise, and some told stories on Rey, making them blush and deny any accusations of being a player. They all accepted Lena as someone Rey was seeing, and treated her like one of the gang. When someone asked what she did, she said she worked in tech and left it at that.

After the bouts, Rey asked the Girl of Feel and Sex Luthor to pose with Lena for a few more photos in the locker room. At Lena’s suggestion, and with Feel’s consent, they did one where Lena embraced the Girl of Feel in a stage kiss, taken from behind Feel so that you could see her jersey name and the cascade of blonde hair and just enough of Lena’s face and one eyebrow to make it clear who she was. Feel picked Lena up by her waist so that her feet were about a foot off the ground due to the skates and their height difference. Lena’s arms were wrapped around Feel’s shoulders and one of her legs was kicked up at the knee, toes pointing. It was an impressive shot, and Lena intented to have a print made and frame it.  
___

As they walked to Rey’s car, Rey asked Lena, “Do you have energy for another stop?”  
“Sure. Are you hungry,?” Lena asked, thinking of Kara’s constant need for food.  
“No, I’m good. I was just wondering if you’d ever been to the Babeland store,” Rey said.  
“I’m not sure what that is, so no, I don’t think so.”  
“You’d definitely remember. I’ll let it be a surprise,” they said, and headed for midtown, which was just a few minutes away. They found a parking spot down the block and Rey took Lena’s hand as they strolled down the sidewalk slowly.  
“So … ” Rey started. “I’ve been thinking.”  
“Yes?”  
“I have really enjoyed the time we’ve spent together so far,” Rey said.  
“As have I,” Lena said, wondering where this was going.  
“And I’m looking forward to more, and I hope you are too,” they continued, pulling Lena to a stop short of the gleamingly lit storefront.  
“Definitely,” Lena said as they faced each other. Rey was looking particularly bashful instead of their typically suave demeanor.  
“So, I brought a harness with me tonight,” Rey said, taking in Lena’s confusion, which they had anticipated. “And I was going to ask if maybe you would like to pick out something together that we might both enjoy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're an artist and you like this ship, hit me up. I'd like to do commissions of Lena and Rey from several different artists.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Lena shop at Babeland and head back to the penthouse.

Lena took a breath to express her confusion, but Rey continued. “Hold on. You’ll see what I’m talking about in a second. We’re going to walk by and take a look in the window, and you absolutely do not have to go in if you don’t want to. But if you’re interested, I can vouch that this is a really great place with knowledgeable, friendly staff and top quality merchandise.”  
Lena suppressed a grin, but her eyes lit up. She thought she might have figured out what type of store Rey had brought her to.  
“Ok,” she said. They walked over to the store and stopped to look at the display. Lena looked inside at the display shelves, and though there were more subtle items placed in front, her eyes landed on a wall of shelves in back displaying dildos of all shapes and sizes. She made a sort of squeaking noise, turned away and planted her face on Rey’s shoulder. She had been right.  
“You ok there?” Rey asked.  
“Yes,” she said quietly.  
“You want to leave?”  
“No,” she said without delay.  
“Ok.”  
“Just give me a minute to work up my nerve, ok?” Lena asked.  
“We don’t have to … ” Rey started to say.  
“No. Now that you’ve brought it up, and I know what sort of harness you’re talking about, I think picking something out together is a brilliant idea. I’ve just never been to a … ” she said, raising her head and turning around to look inside again. “With … ” she gestured at the store “ … on display.”  
Rey chuckled, understanding her discomfort. “Yeah. The staff are all very friendly people and definitely won’t judge you. And trust me, it’s great to be able to pick up a cock and give it a good look before you take it home,” Rey said.  
Lena burst out laughing, as Rey had hoped she would.  
“You ready to go in?” Rey asked. Lena took a couple deep breaths, gripped Rey’s hand, and led the way inside. The young woman behind a counter with multiple piercings and buzzed hair greeted them unobtrusively and continued unpacking a box of inventory. Lena slowed slightly as she passed a rack of dildo harnesses and corsets but stayed on course for the cock wall where several dozen options were on display in a variety of colors, materials, shapes and sizes.  
Lena took it all in and turned to Rey, who was standing to the side and slightly behind her. “Do you have a preference, or any suggestions?”  
“I see something I’m leaning toward, but I don’t want to influence your choice just yet. I think it’s good to start with which material feel you like best, and then think of what you like and look for a size and shape that will get that done.”  
“Good idea,” Lena said. She started picking up various dildos and assessing the feel. “Too hard. Too much like rubber. Oh, I like this. It has some heft and it feels rather realistic,” she said, turning to Rey again and handing it to them.  
Rey took the cock and appraised the feel of it. “Oh, this might be a new material. I haven’t seen anything like it before. Nice!”  
After considering several options, with Rey offering input from their own experience with wearing one, they settled on one of the models in the feel they both liked in a moderate length and a girth that would satisfy. Lena asked Rey how they felt about being on the receiving side, to which Rey consented enthusiastically, so she picked out a harness for herself, though that decision took more time.  
Rey noticed that she was looking at one model as if gears were turning in her mind.  
“Are you designing a better one in your head?” they asked.  
“Yes,” Lena said and laughed in what Rey had come to think of as her soft deep sexy laugh. “I just have to figure out if I can legitimately ask one of my production teams to make it if I don’t intend to put it on the market.”  
They took their selections to the counter and Rey spoke softly in Lena’s ear, “You can use your credit card here. They’re very discreet.”  
Lena removed her card from her jeans pocket and handed it to the young woman whose eyes only opened slightly wider when she saw the name.  
Lena and Rey waited as she ran the card and put each item in tissue paper and then into a sturdy paper bag branded only with the letter B.  
“I’m not supposed to say anything if I recognize someone,” she said as she handed Lena a tablet to sign, “but I don’t want to miss this chance to say thank you for everything you do.”  
Lena looked up, a little surprised, and handed the tablet back.  
“I hope I haven’t made you uncomfortable,” she apologized. “But your prosthetics division made my girlfriend’s new arm and hand. She loves it.”  
“Oh, you didn’t!” Lena assured her. “Which one did she get? The flexy one or the one with all the robotics?”  
The girl brightened visibly. “The robotics! It’s so cool, she’s showing it off to people constantly. And the discount you offer to students and educators helped so much,” she gushed.  
Lena was beaming. “Fantastic! I’ll pass along your compliments to the engineers. One day we’re going to be able to make it both robot-y and flexy,” she promised.  
“Thanks!” the woman said and handed the bag to Lena. “Enjoy your evening! Bye, Rey.”  
“Bye, Constance. Take it easy,” Rey replied as they held the door for Lena, who raised an eyebrow at them.  
“Of course you know the person working the counter.”  
“I know a lot of people,” Rey said and winked. They walked the short distance to Rey’s car and got in. Lena put the bag into the cargo space behind the seats and noticed the cases again.  
“So what is it you do, Rey?” Lena asked, since Rey had promised to tell her.  
“I help alien refugees and immigrants adapt and find work, places to live,” Rey replied as they pulled away from the curb.  
“Really? Are there a lot of aliens immigrating to this planet?”  
“Not a lot, that I know of, but I’m kind of a one-person operation, and just National City, so it’s all I can handle for now,” they said as they turned on the avenue that would take them to Lena’s penthouse. “Some aren’t new to the planet, but they’re looking for a better way of life.”  
“That’s fascinating. I can only imagine the logistical problems one would face living on a planet your people hadn’t evolved to live on,” Lena said.  
“It’s a challenge for sure. I’ll tell you more back at your place. I actually have a sort of proposal for you that might help you out,” Rey said.  
“I’m intrigued. And now you’re going to make me wait?”  
“Yep. Sorry. Too complicated for a car talk. Hey, speaking of aliens, how was your breakfast with Kara?” Rey asked. They could practically feel Lena stiffen and take on tension beside them, but they weren’t sure why. Maybe it hadn’t gone well at all after they left.  
“What do you mean, speaking of aliens?”  
“Earlier,” Rey said. “You said she was friends with Supergirl. You know, our most visible alien.”  
“Oh, now I see,” she said, relaxing. Rey thought her response was interesting but filed it away for later thought. “Good. It was really nice to catch up. She was so curious about you, but I just said we’d met through a mutual acquaintance and didn’t give her any more than that.” Lena paused for a moment. “It’s odd, but talking about Kara, with you, feels a little like talking about an ex.”  
“Why?” Rey asked.  
“I had feelings for her,” Lena said. Then she spoke more honestly, “I was in love with her.”  
“What happened?”  
“She’s not as bi as I thought she was,” she said, sounding pensive. “Or just not into me like that, I suppose,” Lena said, since she couldn’t tell Rey the whole truth.  
“She would have to be hella straight not to be into you,” Rey said. They looked at Lena, feeling there was something more. “Was?”  
Lena blushed. “Well, perhaps I still am a little. But there’s nothing I can do about that. Time will take care of it. I let her know how I felt, and she said she needed me to be a friend.”  
“You know, it’s okay to love, or have romantic or sexual feelings with more than one person at the same time,” Rey said.  
Rey reached out and held Lena’s hand in her lap.  
“What do you mean?” Lena asked.  
Before Rey could respond they had reached Lena’s building.  
“Just pull in at the front if you want, Rey. They’ll park it for you,” Lena instructed.  
“Oh, I don’t have any cash to tip with.”  
Lena laughed. “No need. They get paid very well. They don’t work for tips.”  
Rey pulled the car to a stop and went to retrieve the bag from the back.  
“Oh, shit,” they said.  
“What?” Lena looked concerned.  
“I just realized. This bag is discreet and all, but this is going to have to go through the security scanner.” Lena looked at the bag and looked at Rey. A wicked grin spread across her lips.  
“Well, my security staff wants to know more about my dating life. I’ll give them something to think about. Watch this,” she said as she snatched the bag from the back just before one of the doormen opened her car door for her. Rey jumped out on their side and grabbed their overnight bag from the hatchback. They tossed their keys to another man and hurried to catch up to Lena.

Sweeping up to security like she owned the place, which Rey realized she probably did, Lena proceeded to plop the bag on the scanner belt, and as it went through, greet both Harry and Clare by name and stare at them a full several beats longer than was comfortable, for them. All the while with a supremely smug look and an eyebrow half cocked. Rey could hear Clare choke behind the scanning screen as the bag went through and saw the tips of her ears go scarlet. Harry didn’t have a clue. Yet.  
They placed their overnight bag on the scan belt and followed suit, knowing the buckles of their harness would be fairly obvious for what they were.  
Lena picked up the bag with a single finger, letting it dangle and swing as Rey retrieved their bag, then turned her back on them all and walked on to the elevator.  
“‘Night, y’all,” Rey said with a sweet drawl, enjoying the view of Lena’s hips swaying as she walked.  
“Goodnight, Rey,” Clare squeaked out. “Goodnight, Ms. Luthor.”  
Harry, perplexed, just gave a little wave.

Lena and Rey cackled at each other in the elevator all the way up to the penthouse.

“Did you really just say y’all?” Lena asked as they walked up to her door.  
“Hey, I got cousins in the south. I can do that.”  
___

Lena let them inside the apartment and set the bag on the kitchen island. She kicked off her shoes by the door, as did Rey, and returned to read a cream color note card set on the counter.

_There are a couple plates in the fridge if you’re hungry. —R_

“Are you hungry?” she asked Rey.  
“Yeah, now I am,” Rey said.  
“Check the fridge. Robert says he made something,” Lena said, unzipping her hoodie and flinging it onto a chair.  
Rey stepped over to the fridge and pulled out a plate piled with dried meats and cheeses and another with grapes and a sliced dried fruits. The meats and cheese probably cost more than Rey paid themselves in a week.  
“Robert is such a blessing,” Rey said in appreciation, picking up a tempting thick slice.  
“Oh! He went to the charcuterie place,” Lena said, looking over and setting down the tablet she had picked up right after reading the note. She turned to Rey. “He likes you.”  
“I like _you_ ,” Rey said after swallowing. They took Lena by the hips and gently pulled her close.  
“I like you, too,” she said, eyes half lidded as she looked at Rey and tugged at their worn brown belt. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you how fucking sexy you look in just jeans and a t-shirt.”  
Rey smiled at her. The light tank Lena wore revealed an expanse of creamy skin, and of course the collarbones Rey’s mouth was constantly drawn toward. “I love seeing you dressed all casual,” they said. “But before I get distracted by your hotness … ” they began, releasing Lena’s hips and pushing away slightly. Willpower, Rey.  
Lena rolled her eyes and reached for a grape and some cheese.  
“Yes?” She rounded the counter and pulled two wine glasses from a rack and looked to Rey, who nodded. There was a newly opened bottle of red on the counter as well.  
“I wanted to finish our earlier conversation. I have a recommendation for your personal assistant,” Rey said.  
Lena’s eyes widened. “Really? Who?”  
“My roommate, Jules. Have a seat,” Rey suggested, and they both hoisted themselves up into high bar stools, facing each other. They ate as they talked.  
“You have a roommate?”  
“Not usually, but I have for the last five months or so. Jules is a Krenon woman, and I think she’d be good for this,” Rey said.  
“How well do you know her?”  
“Pretty well now. My place isn’t big, so we’ve been sharing a bathroom and she’s crashing on the couch,” Rey said. Lena nodded. She hadn’t had a roommate since boarding school, but she imagined such close quarters would lead to a fair amount of familiarity.  
“Let me go back a little. I promised to tell you about my job,” Rey started. “That’s how I met Jules. I help refugees from off-world in National City who are having a hard time finding their place on this planet. For some it’s relatively easy, but for others it can be very challenging. For instance, humans don’t have the physical ability to make the sounds required to speak a Krenon language, and Krenons can’t speak human languages, so she picked the name Jules for humans to use for her. In her culture they change their names on occasion, too, usually when they enter a new phase of life or go through something that feels like a transition, which I think is pretty cool, actually.”  
“Indeed,” Lena said. “I like it. Names can drag you down.” Lena took a sip of her wine. She knew better than most what it meant to be tied to a name.  
“True,” Rey paused. “You ok?” they asked. Lena nodded and Rey continued. “She escaped a bad situation on her planet with the help of some dude who could jack a ship, but then when they ended up here he started acting all possessive and entitled to things from her that she wasn’t willing to give,” Rey continued.  
“She cold-cocked him the first chance she got and ran,” Rey said, a little pride seeping into their voice. “Luckily another alien told her how to find me. She’s been laying low and living with me until we can find the right job and housing for her. With a big sweatshirt and some makeup she can pass for human, but she’s got distinctly alien features. Plus she needs to stay away from the rest of the alien community until we know that guy’s not after her anymore.”  
“I see,” said Lena. “And what makes you think she’s right to be my personal assistant?”  
“She’s brilliant, friendly, resourceful. She cooks and keeps a very neat house. It’s been awesome having her live with me. I’m getting a little spoiled to be honest.  
“She’s great at researching anything she doesn’t understand. She learned English very quickly, so she could likely pick up other languages fast. She loves learning. She was sort of a historian and archives keeper on her planet. The current ruling administration didn’t appreciate her refusal to write their lies down as facts, so they came after her. Thus the escape.”  
“Wow. She must be quite resourceful, just in being able to survive as a refugee like that. What about the alien features? Robert has to interact with several businesses on my behalf.”  
“That’s one of the reasons I think she might fit here. I know you wouldn’t mind that she’s an alien, so she wouldn’t have to hide her appearance all the time. And you have the resources to help her get some tailored clothes that would hide her extra arms and vestigial wings.”  
“Extra arms?”  
“Two, attached under the scapulae on her back.”  
“And vestigial wings.”  
“Little ones. They’re between her shoulder blades and fold up really compact. Her species used to be able to fly millennia ago.”  
“Well, now I really want to meet her, at least,” Lena said with a chuckle.  
“Also her skin does some fairly dramatic color changes with her emotional range and other situations. Even with makeup, the people who see her up close and frequently might notice that she’s not human, so it would be good if they had open minds.”  
“Robert would know about that better than I,” Lena said. “How does she communicate?”  
“Mostly a tablet and stylus or a notebook and pen. We’ve been trying out a speech app, but writing a note is still faster.”  
Rey waited to see if Lena had any other questions, watching as the woman looked to be going through a thought process.  
“What do you think?” Rey asked.  
Lena looked thoughtful and took a sip of her wine.  
“The challenges you mentioned don’t seem insurmountable, so I’m willing to consider her,” she began. “I have to be very cautious in filling this position, however. My personal assistant basically lives in my home. They have access to a lot of information about my life. I have to know that they can’t be bought or blackmailed. If she was willing to flee her planet in what sounds like very risky circumstances just because she didn’t want to go against her ethical standards? That’s promising. And you trust her?” Lena asked.  
“Yes.”  
Lena paused in thought, putting a knuckle to her lips, then raised her head and looked at Rey.  
“What I’m wondering is, why does it feel so fucking natural for me to trust you?” Lena asked, her brows knit slightly. “I mean, this is only our third date, Rey, and already I feel as comfortable with you as I do with a small handful of people who I consider very close friends. Why?”  
“I get it,” Rey said. “I feel it, too. There’s something that just clicks with you,” they said. “I wouldn’t usually trust anyone with information about one of the people I’m helping. Not without having established a relationship that lasted over time and testing it out in smaller ways first.” Rey thought about Lena’s questions and their own. “But I trust Kai. She wouldn’t have asked me to meet you unless she had a good feeling about you.”  
Lena nodded. Though she was usually a very pragmatic person, she did entertain that sometimes the universe brought things into line. If she hadn’t chosen National City as the new location for L-Corp, the city that Supergirl called home, she’d probably be dead by now. Lex’s assassin would have taken her out easily. She’d gotten her fresh start and, though it wasn’t a relationship without complications, the best friend she’d ever known. Kai must’ve taken a big risk in asking her longtime friend to meet her. And so far her experience with Rey had been beyond her wildest expectations.  
Lena took Rey’s hands in her own.  
“I suppose the next step is a leap of faith. Jules sounds better than any other candidate Robert and I have looked at. Would you and she be willing to meet with me and Jess and Robert? We could sort of feel each other out.”  
“Jess too?” Rey asked.  
“She’s my first line of defense. Robert is great, but he’s not the pitbull that Jess is. I mean, you experienced it firsthand. She’s in on all my hiring decisions,” Lena said.  
Rey tilted their head at Lena, who blushed in response. “Ok, maybe not all of my hiring decisions,” she admitted.  
“I’ll ask Jules if she’s up for it. There’s one other thing you should know,” Rey said. “Jules isn’t bulletproof, but her people can be fierce if threatened. So that’s good if you needed backup security in an emergency. But I wouldn’t want you to freak out if someone came at you and she went into an aggression display.”  
Lena’s eyebrows rose. “Really? Is this something you’ve seen yourself?”  
“Not in real life circumstances, but she showed me. A sort of reenactment. Scary as hell, really,” Jules laughed.  
“And, hypothetically, if I came home mad at the world and threw something at a wall? Just speaking hypothetically,” Lena asked.  
“As long as you didn’t throw it at her, she’d be fine,” Rey said.  
“I can live with that,” Lena said.  
____

Though they moved the Babeland bag to the bedroom, they decided to leave the new toy tryout until the next morning as both Rey and Lena were tired after a long, late evening.  
Rey examined the headboard repair, saying, “Robert did a great job.”  
“Don’t let him let you think he did that. He hired a furniture craftsman with experience in restoration,” Lena said, taking off her tank and bra. When Rey turned around Lena was topless, and they almost forgot how to breathe. Lena approached while Rey was still stunned and pulled off their t-shirt. They hadn’t bothered with a bra tonight.

They came together, lips melding, skin to skin, nipples brushing. Worries about security and survival and the rest of the world drifted away as Rey dropped to their knees, unfastening the button of Lena’s jeans and easing the zipper down. Lena braced her feet a little wider as she closed her eyes and threw her head back, free falling into the sensation of Rey’s hot breath penetrating the panties she wore and onto sensitive skin beneath. She trailed her fingertips over Rey’s shoulders, delighting when she heard them gasp and felt their body tremble against her.  
Rey fisted each side of Lena’s jeans in their hands and slowly pulled down, moving their lips from the cloth of underwear to bare skin as it was exposed. They used the tip of their tongue to make Lena hum and gasp. When they had pulled the snug fitting jeans down to her knees, they helped her take tiny steps backward until Lena could collapse on the bed and let Rey take the jeans completely off.  
Rey shucked their own jeans and drawers off, kicking them aside. Lena drew her body fully onto the bed and Rey followed with purpose.  
Rey made it their mission to drive Lena wild for as long as possible before taking off the dark emerald green panties she wore. Tugging the fabric up, they used their tongue to tease and lap at the skin just above the crease of her thigh. They huffed hot air through the barrier and onto her cunt, making Lena buck her hips off the bed and spread her legs wider. Rey teased with fingers slipped under the cloth. They squeezed and rolled her nipples as she writhed. They peppered bites along tender flesh until Lena grabbed them by the head and shouted, “God! Fuck me!”  
Rey hooked two fingers inside the soaked crotch of Lena’s panties and swept them down her legs and off in one swift motion then dove into Lena’s body like they wanted to drown in it. Rey’s tongue split a path between Lena’s lips and two fingers followed, pushing deep and driving in and out.  
“More!” Lena begged, wrapping her legs around their shoulders.  
When they had moved to the bedroom Lena hadn’t anticipated things getting this intense, but fuck, Rey had driven her to distraction with their teasing and now she was on fire and she didn’t want anything gentle or in half-measures or held off a second longer. She wanted to get fucked within an inch of her life.  
Rey reached around Lena’s thigh and stretched one arm across her torso to hold her down. While their mouth explored soft curls and slick flesh, they rocked Lena’s body, pushing at the thighs locked around their head and over their shoulders in time with each push of fingers. Still, Rey was careful in how they moved inside Lena. Each stroke was controlled, and a third finger joined in to appease her desire for more. Lena’s heels dug into Rey’s back as she met each motion with her own, driving Rey’s own desire higher.  
Lena could feel her climax coming for her like a boulder rolling down a hill. When she felt Rey’s soft tongue begin a relentless push alongside her clit she shouted Gaelic curses as the orgasm slammed through her and her thighs tightened around Rey’s head.  
For a brief count to the pounding of her heart, her own body was made of steel, rigid and unbreakable, then it shattered and spread to the stars in a billion particles.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after derby night.

Lena woke with the sunrise Sunday morning, well rested and practically vibrating with energy. She looked to her side to see Rey dozing on their back, one arm over their head and the other draped on Lena’s thigh. Sun filtered through her tinted bedroom windows and warmed the color of Rey’s skin, lending it a cinnamon tone. Lena sighed.  
Three dates. Three sleepovers. More than three astoundingly good rounds of sex.  
After a lifetime of so much solitude and careful guardedness, how did this cocky, hot half-alien get past all her defenses so easily?  
She slipped out from under Rey’s hand and out of bed, hit the bathroom, put on a robe and padded out to the kitchen.  
Robert was spooning coffee grounds into an Italian coffee maker. He turned to her as she slid onto one of the stools.  
“Good morning, dear,” he said. “I’ll be finished prepping everything soon and then I’ll get out of the way for the rest of the morning,” he said quietly.  
“No hurry. Rey won’t wake up for a bit,” Lena replied, taking a chunk of pineapple from a plate of fruit and biting into it. “Mmmm. God, that’s good.”  
“Work up an appetite?” he said as he moved the coffee to the stove.  
“Stop,” she said.  
“I’m just happy for you,” he said, grinning. “And I ordered a very expensive set of noise cancelling headphones for myself with your card.”  
“Good. Because I only plan to get louder,” she remarked, smirking at him.  
He laughed and began slicing more fruit on a cutting board. She took another chunk of fruit and popped it in her mouth, rinsed her hands, and retreated to the bedroom.

___

Forty-five minutes later Lena had read the new dildo’s care instructions, given it a thorough wash, and looked over work email.  
She wasn’t surprised to see a familiar text come in.

Kara: It’s Sunday and it’s gorgeous out! Want to meet me for breakfast?  
There were three sun emojis followed by bacon, eggs, and pancakes.  
Lena: Sounds wonderful, but I really feel like going back to bed this morning. Raincheck?  
Kara: Sure! Are you feeling ok?  
Lena: Never better. You have fun and enjoy your lake of syrup.  
Kara: You don’t know what you’re missing. Text you later!  
That was followed by a pink heart and a string of other peppy symbols Lena couldn’t really follow, but it was all very cheerful.

Telling Kara she felt like going back to bed this morning was the absolute truth. She looked over to Rey’s lithe body and her lover dozed on, oblivious to the naked horny billionaire beside them.  
Or perhaps not.  
“I can feel you staring at me, Lee,” they said, eyes remaining closed and otherwise motionless.  
“Really? Can you feel that I’m going to pounce on you if you don’t get up soon?”  
Rey smiled. “Oh, yeah?”  
“Mmm-hmm,” Lena assented, getting onto her hands and knees beside Rey and contemplating how to do an actual pounce.  
Rey opened their eyes to find her looming over them and actually jumped a little and yelped in surprise. Lena laughed openly at them, and Rey scowled and rolled away from her, off the bed, and disappeared into the bathroom.  
They came back feeling much fresher and with a little swagger. Lena had settled on her side with her head propped in her hand, and Rey noticed the cock was on Lena’s nightstand and glasses of water set out for each of them.  
“I take it you have plans for me?” Rey asked, taking a sip of water and sliding back into bed.  
“Only with your enthusiastic consent, of course,” Lena purred.  
“Convince me.”  
Lena leaned over and proceeded to kiss Rey senseless. By the time she had her hand between Rey’s legs, stroking their mound with the palm of her hand, they were thoroughly convinced.  
“Yes, I consent. Consenting is what I do. With enthusiasm,” they added, sitting up and rolling on top of Lena.  
Her eyes were alight with desire. “I have a request,” she said, biting her lip. Rey lifted their eyebrows and pursed their lips, waiting to hear it. “Would you put your sexy jeans back on, over the harness?”  
“I like where you’re going with this,” they said.

Watching Rey put on the cock and harness was a little ridiculous at first and had both of them laughing. But once Rey had everything adjusted they walked over to where they had tossed their jeans the night before and picked them up, Lena’s mouth had begun to go dry.  
Turning toward Lena, Rey stepped into the jeans with the bright morning skyline outlining their physique. They slowly pulled the denim up their legs and settled the jeans low on their hips and left the belt dangling open. They tucked the thick shaft of the cock to one side and buttoned the fly over it in a snug fit.  
Lena crawled off the bed and stalked toward them, half her lower lip pulled between her teeth. Rey felt like a tasty snack, and they didn’t mind.  
They found themself with their bare back against the windows, hissing from the cold glass on their skin.  
“Sorry,” Lena said, though she was not sorry at all. She was pressed hard to Rey with one hand cupping the cock between them, stroking, and the other behind Rey’s neck, kissing them deep.  
“God,” Rey whispered when Lena broke the kiss to go for the soft niche above their collarbone. “Fuck.”  
Lena’s hand rubbed across the bulge of the cock and down between Rey’s legs. And again. And again. Lena moved her mouth higher and she flicked her tongue across the top of Rey’s shoulder and sucked the flesh under her lips.  
“Fuck, Lena!” Rey gasped. “You’re going to make me come like that.”  
And suddenly that’s all Lena wanted to do. She increased the pace and pressure of her hand and used her mouth on Rey’s throat and chest. She ended up lifting Rey’s thigh with her other hand and smiled as Rey braced both of their arms across the windows. When she took a nipple in her mouth and began to scrape and knead it between her tongue and teeth Rey shuddered violently, and called out, “God! Lee!” coming hard.  
Lena stroked more gently as Rey came down, slowing to a stop and letting their thigh slide from her grasp.  
They were both still catching their breath when Lena whispered in Rey’s ear, “I’m dripping wet,” she breathed, her voice deep. “I hope you didn’t plan to wear the same jeans out of here because I’m going to wreck these.” She tucked four fingers down the front of Rey’s pants and tugged them toward the bed, swinging Rey around and pushing them down onto the soft surface.  
As she straddled Rey and made short work of opening the button fly, Rey dug a condom packet out of their pocket.  
“Do we really need a condom?” Lena asked.  
“It’s just good practice since we’ll be sharing this,” Rey said. “Plus it feels better.” Lena had pulled the cock into her hand and was stroking and squeezing it, pressing the base of it down and making Rey grind against the pressure. “And when you’re done riding me,” Rey said as they ripped open the packet and rolled the condom on, “it’s going to be my turn, and I don’t want to wait for a rinse and dry,” they laughed. 

Lena pressed the cock up over Rey’s tight belly and positioned herself over it. She pumped her hips forward and back to draw her slick center along it and held Rey down by their shoulders as she got lost in the sensation.  
As they settling into a natural rhythm the heat built and built in exquisite delay until Lena, her closed eyes squinched tight, whimpered, “I need you inside me.”  
Rey took Lena by her hips and stilled her motion, urging her up until the head of the cock lifted into place.  
Her face relaxed when she felt the blunt head nudge between her lips and press at her opening. Head bowed and her hands braced on Rey’s ribcage, she pushed down and cried out with the satisfaction of being stretched open and filled. And Rey had been right, even as wet as she was she was glad for the lubed condom to ease the way.  
She opened her eyes. There was something so hot about riding Rey, getting fucked, feeling the denim under her thighs, the clink of Rey’s belt buckle every time Lena bucked her hips, watching Rey’s body roll like a dancer and locking eyes with them.

Lena alternated between letting Rey slide freely in and out and clenching her cunt around them when she lifted up, tugging the cock with her. She watched Rey’s face, watched the fire building in their eyes along with her own. Rey canted their hips up in a way that made the angle even better. Lena felt her cunt start to throb and knew she was close.  
“Rey … ’  
“Yeah.”  
“This is amazing … ”  
“Yeah,” Rey agreed.  
“I really want to be … on my back with you … pounding me … now,” she said, punctuated with breathy gasps.  
In a motion that is a show of Rey’s hidden strength, they wrapped an arm around Lena and braced in a way that rolled them over together, putting Rey on top between Lena’s legs. She didn’t hesitate to wrap them around Rey’s waist and pull them in tight.  
“Fuck, Lee, god, you’re so fucking beautiful,” Rey muttered as they began to pump their hips, sliding the cock fully inside her each time.  
Lena dug her fingertips into Rey’s back and they groaned loud through clenched teeth, driving their cock into her.  
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Lena chanted, and then, “YES, Rey, Rey, Rey, REY!!” It finished in a shriek as Lena thrashed through the orgasm and Rey kept going, extending it into another, and then a third, or it may have been an extension of the second. Whatever it was, Lena was sure she had never had a series or orgasms quite like that.  
Eventually Rey pulled out gently and flopped over onto their back.

True to their word, as soon as Lena recovered Rey asked her to try her own harness on because after fucking Lena so hard they were ready to go, no foreplay necessary.  
With only a couple fumbles and a fresh condom, Lena was ready, too.  
“How do you want me?” she asked.  
Without the slightest hint of embarrassment Rey got on their knees with their arms stretched out over their head and replied, “Deep inside. And I want your hands all over my back.”  
Lena complied, with pleasure.  
___

Kara: I’m going to go check on Lena. I think something’s wrong.  
Alex: Why?  
Kara: I invited her to breakfast and she said she was going back to bed. She never does that.  
Alex: Leave her alone. Everybody likes a lie-in now and then. You know how she works.  
Kara: She told me sleep is a waste of time once. I’m just going to fly by and check so I can stop worrying. 

Though Lena never had Kara over to the penthouse where she lived, citing that it didn’t really feel cosy and homey in the way that Kara’s place did, of course Kara knew where it was. Sometimes she would cruise by just to hear Lena’s heartbeat strong and close. It would be fine just this once to take a little peek to make sure Lena was ok. 

___

Later, after a late and somewhat cold, but delicious breakfast, Rey took their second cup of coffee over to the broad expanse of windows to enjoy the view. Something looked off on a building across the way, though.  
“Dang. What happened to that cell tower?” Rey wondered aloud.  
“What do you mean,” Lena asked, walking over and not minding that her robe was falling open as she pressed her body against Rey’s back.  
Rey pointed to a roof lower down, across the street and to the left.  
“It looks like a low-flying plane clipped it or something. Look, you can see shattered pieces and the top is just laying there. Maybe it was one of those big-ass drones we see sometimes.”  
“Huh. Maybe,” Lena said, wincing and hoping it had not been a low-flying, somewhat nosey, superhero. She she grew pink as she wondered when, exactly, the fly-by might have happened.  
___

Kara: Winn, I need you. Don’t tell Alex.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Kara have a bit of a fight. Kara and Lena chat over lunch as they try out a new place.

Monday morning didn’t start well. Just as Kara stepped off the elevator at CatCo she got an incoming call from Alex.  
“Hey, Alex, what’s up,” she answered.  
“Well, for one I’m dealing with a frantic Winn and investigators from a cell phone company.”  
“Oh.”  
“Get over here, now. You have a lot of explaining to do.”  
Kara had to work hard not to break her phone. She turned around and stepped into the stairwell and headed for the roof.  
___

Kara, in her super suit, sat in one of the conference room chairs with her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees, staring at the floor as Alex chewed her out.  
“The DEO, or the FBI, doesn’t know how to explain Supergirl running into and breaking a rooftop cell tower when there wasn’t an emergency or an alien she was fighting, Kara. And I can’t believe you just dumped that on Winn and thought it would magically go away! Winn can’t fix this,” Alex said to the back of her sister’s head. She could tell Kara felt terrible about it, but she was just so angry. The level of irresponsibility was off the charts.   
“Why didn’t you tell me so that we could get on top of this sooner?” Alex continued. “And please, for the love of god, tell me it was just a coincidence that this happened right next to where Lena lives.”  
“I’m sorry! You were right!” Kara said, sitting up and waving her arms. “I should have left Lena alone and kept my nose out of her business, but I didn’t and I’m sorry.” She stood and began to pace the room. “I wasn’t looking where I was going and I could have hurt someone. I was lucky I was able to catch the top of the … cell thingy … before it hit the street.”  
“So you flew by to check on Lena after I advised you not to.”  
“Yes.”  
“I assume she’s ok.”  
“Yes.”  
“I don’t understand, Kara. What did you see that upset you so much?”  
“Nothing.”  
Alex was more than frustrated. She had gotten to know Lena a little through Kara and she wasn’t worried that she was up to something nefarious. She couldn’t think of a scenario that would make Supergirl lose control of her flight.  
“C’mon, Kara …” Alex began.  
“Drop it, Alex!” Kara nearly shouted. “Look, let me just talk to the cell phone company. I’ll tell them it was an accident and maybe I can do something for them to make up for it. Make an appearance at the company picnic or something.”  
“No. I’ll talk to them,” Alex said. “We don’t want it to look like Supergirl is doing marketing gigs or whatever. I’ll find something in the budget to pay for the damage. I just needed to know what really happened. I’ll tell them the cause of your accident was classified.”  
“I’ve got to get back to work,” Kara said quietly.  
“I know. Come here,” Alex said, opening her arms. Kara accepted the hug and was grateful that Alex wasn’t as angry anymore.   
___

Back at her desk she found it hard to concentrate.   
Friends don’t look in their friend’s apartment with x-ray vision when they just said they wanted to go back to bed. Rao, why couldn’t she just take Lena at her word and let her have her privacy? Now she had images in her head of Lena in bed doing … that … with … someone.   
And the thing was, she hadn’t wanted to look away. Thus the incident. And with the images in her head, she didn’t want to shut them out. It made her feel … something. She wasn’t sure what.  
She _is_ pretty sure she knew who the someone was, even though she didn’t see their face. And maybe that was why she had been so curious. Kara knew Lena wasn’t telling her everything, and she just couldn’t leave it alone. Why did that bother her so much? Think of everything you keep from her all the time! And that brought to mind the real problem.  
She should have told Lena her secret long ago, but she had grown so attached to the way they were together. With Lena she could leave her superhero side behind and just be herself again. And she loved the way that Lena was always so open with her, sharing everything. Loving her.  
She grew angry at herself again. Lena didn’t deserve that. She loved Lena, as a friend, but she’d shared so little of herself with her. She just took and took and didn’t return anything, and now Lena had stopped sharing with her.   
And now that Kara wanted to tell her, how could she do it? Her mind went back to Lillian. She could hear the words as clearly as if Lillian were whispering them in her ear.   
“And when she finds out, she’ll hate you for it.”  
Was it too late? Would Lena ever be able to forgive her?

Kara’s phone buzzed.

Lena: Hey, by some miracle I had a meeting cancel. Free for lunch?

In her current frame of mind, Lena’s offer nearly brought a tear to Kara’s eye. She considered her next deadline, and if she powered through some research after lunch she could stay on track.

Kara: Love to! [sparkle heart, puppy face, rainbow, fork and knife]  
___

Lena was in a fantastic mood and happy to be out with Kara, trying a new restaurant. They’d just placed their entree orders, and a server was setting out the selection of appetizers Lena had already asked for. Kara’s eyes shone at the enticing set of small plates.  
Lena observed fondly as Kara began to sample, offering short reviews of each taste. Lena tried tiny bites and offered her own feedback so that Kara wouldn’t notice that there was no way Lena wasn’t aware of the difference in volume that they consumed.   
In a way, Lena enjoyed that Kara didn’t bother to try to hide how much she ate anymore. She thought it was one of the ways that Kara felt free to really be herself when they were together.   
After bringing Kara up to speed on her latest intel on Morgan Edge, she tried to offer Kara an opening to talk about the rest of her life.  
“So tell me what’s been going on with you. Cover any interesting Supergirl news lately?”  
The change in Kara’s mood and demeanor was unmistakable. Her fork paused in mid air and she gently set it down. She took her napkin from her lap and dabbed at her mouth then took a drink of her water. She looked at her lap and then at Lena.  
“If you don’t mind, I don’t … Can we talk about something else?” Kara asked.  
“Of course we can, but … What’s wrong? Did you have a disagreement?” Lena reached out and put her hand on Kara’s where it sat on the tabletop and realized that she just asked a question as if Kara and Supergirl were two different people without even thinking about it. It wasn’t the first time.   
As their friendship had progressed Lena had made an effort to think of the two halves of Kara’s life separately so that she wouldn’t reveal that she already knew. And to make it easier for Kara. Easier to relax, to not be guarded, to laugh and smile so freely in the way Lena loved to see.  
Kara’s weak smile was a poor attempt to gloss over the fact that something was obviously wrong. “Really, literally anything else right now,” Kara pleaded.  
“Ok. I’m sorry, Kara,” Lena replied, worry coursing through her. “Just know that I’m here for you if you want to talk about it.”   
“Thank you, Lena. I know. You’re always there for me, and I really appreciate it,” Kara said. There was a sadness in her eyes so deep that it made Lena search her memory for recent news that might be making the Supergirl side of Kara so upset, but nothing stood out.   
“If there’s anything I can do to help … ” Lena said.  
“I will absolutely let you know,” Kara replied. Lena saw her take a deep breath and set her shoulders back, seemingly pulling the sunny smile back onto her face by sheer force of will. “I just want to enjoy this awesome lunch and catch up with my bestie.”  
Lena rewarded her with a big smile of her own. Obviously Kara really needed a break from Supergirl. She knew one thing that would distract her, even though she was almost certain Kara already knew. She thought about it a moment more then decided, yes, she felt comfortable sharing this now.  
“Well, I do have some news you might find interesting,” Lena said, tucking her chin and looking up through her lashes with a sly smile.  
“Do tell!” Kara piped in, her blue eyes shining through her glasses and her eyebrows high in expectation.  
“I haven’t mentioned it before because I wanted to see how it would go before I told you. I’ve been seeing someone,” Lena revealed, looking up to watch Kara’s reaction.  
There was the barest hint of delay that looked like Kara was deciding on her appropriate response before a genuine smile split across her face.  
“What?! Who? Tell me everything!” she said, excitement and joy lighting her up.  
“Well, you met them the other day. It’s Rey.”  
Kara looked down at her plate and said, “I kind of thought you two had chemistry. Where did you meet her?”  
“Them,” Lena automatically corrected. Kara looked up, confused.  
“What?”  
“Rey uses they/them pronouns. It’s they, not her,” Lena said.   
“Is she … Are they an alien with multiple beings in one body?” Kara asked. Then realized what she’d said. Crap.  
“No, they … Wait, what? Is that a thing?” Lena responded, more than curious.  
“Yes?” Kara said, acting uncertain to cover her mistake.  
Lena held in a laugh, thinking, _You’re not supposed to know that much about aliens, Kara._  
“You really have to tell me more about that later, but no. The binary gender construct doesn’t fit them, so they use they/them instead of she/her or he/him. I hadn’t thought much about how our culture views gender before I met them, but it’s ridiculous. To think people must be either A or B and nothing else? It doesn’t make sense,” Lena says.  
“Huh. Now that I’m thinking about it, you’re right,” Kara said, looking lost in new consideration. On Krypton they hadn’t obsessed over strict gender norms at all like they do here on Earth. It just wasn’t such a rigid thing, but she’d been living here and trying so hard to fit in for so long, she had kind of forgotten that.  
But she hadn’t forgotten her initial question.  
“So where did you meet them?”  
“You’re not going to let me dodge that one, are you?” Lena said, lifting one eyebrow.  
“Nope!” Kara replied, popping the p and leaning in, adjusting her glasses.  
Lena sat back and looked at Kara for a long moment. Yes, she still loved her. Deeply. But it wasn’t like it was before. The burden of longing and loneliness was lifted, and it made it easier to be with her and appreciate her friendship. And she truly was Lena’s best friend.   
“We met through a sort of exclusive, high-end matchmaking service. For people like me,” Lena said. It wasn’t a lie, exactly. Just a little vague.  
“What do you mean people like you?” Kara asked, the defensiveness on Lena’s behalf was already showing in her body language.  
“People who have money, or power, or both, a degree of celebrity, and who have a hard time meeting someone without questioning if they’re just out to get something from you or manipulate you.”  
“Gosh, that sounds terrible.”  
“Exactly.”  
“I hadn’t even considered … Is that what dating is like for you?” Kara said.  
“I haven’t really dated at all. There’s a reason I only have a few friends, Kara,” Lena said. “It’s not just because I don’t get out much. Or because I’m a Luthor.”  
“What’s she … sorry … What are they like?” Kara asked.  
And for the next half hour over their meal, while Kara ate three entrees, Lena gushed about Rey. She stopped short of anything detailed about the sex other than the implication that it was phenomenal, which made Kara blush furiously and twist in her chair a bit. She did not mention Rey’s alien side either.  
And Kara seemed truly happy for her. Though a layer of the sadness from earlier returned when it was time to say goodbye.  
“Thank you for this, Lena,” Kara said as she shouldered her purse and they stepped out onto the sidewalk. “I really needed some normalcy.”  
They hugged goodbye and as always, held the embrace for a long moment.  
“Only you would think of me as normal, darling,” Lena squeezed Kara’s hand and laughed. Kara laughed with her, dabbing at her eye and holding Lena’s hand until the last possible moment as she turned to walk away.   
Lena thought it was possible she hadn’t fully understood until just then why Kara hadn’t told her about Supergirl. There was something about their friendship, the way it was, that she realized Kara absolutely needed. Lena was her touchstone for what it was like to be a normal person, not a hero with the burdens of the world on her shoulders. Of all people, though, Lena had a far from normal life. Perhaps it was also that they both knew the burden of wielding power and the weariness that came with it. Turning to walk back to L-Corp, Lena let go of any last remnants of her hurt over Kara not letting her in on the secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're an artist or know one who might like this ship, let me know. I'm looking to commission some depictions of Lena and Rey.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jules interviews for Robert's position. (**I have no idea if this resembles a real job interview for this type of position. But this is Lena Luthor, she can do whatever she wants.**)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, this is my last day off before I go back to my regular day job after an amazing month-long sabbatical. I have several more chapters that are already written and just need that last proof/edit, and then I need to finish the chapters that cover the climax of the story. This is to say, after today, my update frequency will go down, but I have invested more than a year of my precious spare time on this and I will finish it. I know how it will end, but it just takes time for me to get a chapter just-so and ready to share.

Rey and Lena decided it would be best to interview Jules at Rey’s house where she feels comfortable and she won’t have to put on a human disguise to go to another location.  
Jess was sceptical about the whole thing. Robert was excited that there was a prospect and he’d certainly grown fond of Rey, so he was optimistic. Lena’s aim was to try to keep her judgment unbiased. No matter how she felt about Rey, this was a big decision, and it would take someone very special to do the job.

As Lena readied to knock, she could hear Rey’s voice inside and an answering sound that was hard to describe. She knocked and Rey opened the door almost immediately.  
“Hey! Welcome. Come in,” Rey said, stepping to one side. They leaned in and kissed Lena on the cheek as she passed.  
“Hi,” Lena said quietly to Rey.  
“Thank you so much for coming,” Rey continued as they ushered the small group inside. “I really appreciate it. Jules is very excited.”  
A sound came from the kitchen that sounded like a cross between a soft bark and a wind instrument. It was odd but not unpleasant.  
“You have a lovely home, Rey,” Robert said.  
“Thanks.”  
“Good to see you again, Rey,” said Jess.  
Rey seemed very pleased by this. “Thank you, Jess.”

Rey’s house was a modest 1950s bungalow furnished with mostly period style furniture. It was spotless except for the clutter of a few stacks of things sitting beside a small desk with a laptop that Lena surmised Rey must use for their off-worlder support. Lena would really like to see what Rey’s bedroom looks like, but she stuffed that feeling down to revisit at a more appropriate time.

A smiling young woman came out of the kitchen wearing a dressy sleeveless shirt and wide-legged pants that seemed to flow as she walked. Lena’s gaze was first drawn to her short white hair and then took in her skin color, which was a light brown that transitioned into striations of dark and light blue from her jaw and down her neck and chest. There were streaks of deep red and yellow behind her ears that disappeared into her hair.  
The woman, who was quite a bit taller than Lena, was grasping a tablet to her chest with both arms and extended another arm from behind her toward Lena. Having momentarily forgotten about the additional pair of arms, Lena was only briefly taken aback before she broke into a smile and shook the offered hand.  
“Lena, this is Jules. Jules, this is my very good friend Lena Luthor,” Rey said.  
“I’m pleased to meet you, Jules,” Lena said.  
Jules, in turn, looked to her tablet and tapped on it once to play the greeting she had planned. It was a British male voice that said, “I’m very pleased to meet you, Ms. Luthor. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to interview for the position.” The only part of the speech that sounded robotic was Luthor. The rest were recorded words with minimal inflection.  
Lena introduced Robert and Jess, then turned to Rey, saying, “Well, let’s get to it then, shall we?”  
Jess, Robert and Rey sat on the green mid-century style sofa and Jules and Lena sat in the chairs opposite. Jules had retrieved a tablet stand and a wireless keyboard and set up the tablet on the small table between herself and Lena and kept the keyboard in her lap.

Jules trilled at Rey.  
“Jules wanted me to let you know that she wanted to make lunch, but I thought it would be best to have her full attention on the interview.”  
Robert smiled and looked to Lena.  
Lena addressed Jules with a smile, “I certainly appreciate the thought, and I hope I do get a chance to try your cooking, but Rey is correct. Jess and Robert and I wanted to meet you and get to know each other. Your skill set isn’t as important to us as how well we get along. And even though Robert will be leaving, he’ll be training you for however long that takes to take over his duties. And he and Jess work as a team, often, to make sure I stay on task and on top of my business and personal responsibilities.”  
When Lena had finished, Jules’ fingers nimbly typed on the keyboard. When she stopped, the British voice came from the pad with her reply.  
“I’d like that. How should we begin?” Jules asked.  
“Well,” said Lena, settling back. She had done many employee interviews. “Rey told me a little bit about you, but I’d like you to tell me about yourself in your own words.”

Jules began typing, sending each sentence to be vocalized by the tablet as she wrote.  
“First, let me say that I can write fluently in English, but please forgive me if I use a few shortcuts for speech.  
“I love to record and analyze events. I do it all the time in my head. Important or common. It doesn’t matter.  
“I have come to love Earth music, it’s so great. So many great music poets. I journal. Dance.”  
“Frankly, my transition to Earth has not been easy, and the experience has taught me to be cautious. But I still consider myself a very positive person.”  
Jules looked to the group when she finished typing and when no one gave her another question immediately, she added one thing more.  
“Would it be ok for me to ask you to tell me about yourselves?” Jules asked.  
Rey grinned. Jules was not a timid person, and she was immensely curious.  
Lena smiled as well. “Of course. That’s quite fair,” Lena said. She began to describe herself and led with her engineering and science degrees, followed by when she became CEO of Luthor Corp and subsequently L-Corp after she moved to National City. She continued with a few more personal details.  
“I’m estranged from my adoptive family, for good reason. I enjoy reading history,” she said, and Jules made a positive response noise deep in her throat. Lena noticed but didn’t remark on it. “I have a taste for scotch and a new-found enthusiasm for roller derby.” Lena looked to Rey with a look that turned rather more swooney than she intended. “I’m fiercely loyal and protective of my chosen family,” she looked at Jess, Robert, and briefly at Rey. Rey wasn’t there quite yet, but they were certainly headed in that direction.  
Jules looked to Jess next. Lena knew that Jess didn’t give up personal details lightly, and she was interested to hear what Jess would say.  
“I have a business degree from MIT Sloan. I began working with Luthor Corp in the finance department before Ms. Luthor was named CEO. I was familiar with Ms. Luthor’s work in the R&D labs, my name was floated as a potential executive assistant to Ms. Luthor, and I accepted the position when it was offered. I take a great deal of pride in my job,” she said, as if that were the conclusion of her small speech. Jules tilted her head, and her large eyes easily communicated that she was hoping for something a little more personal.  
“I have two cats, and I enjoy logic puzzles,” Jess added quickly. Jules beamed and turned to Robert. Lena in turn stared at Jess. Cats? Jess’ expression clearly stated that Lena did not know everything about her.  
“I grew up in San Juan and moved to Maryland, where I worked my way through college. I have a theater degree. I met Lena when I was working as a barista in Metropolis. She hired me part time to take care of little things she didn’t have time for as she was working on two degrees simultaneously. She was very young with a determined focus unlike any I had seen before. We have been friends for almost ten years now, and if I didn’t feel a calling to help my community in Puerto Rico I would not be leaving her employ.” Jules gave Robert a look similar to the one she’d used on Jess, with similar success. “I design clothing for fun, and I spend my vacation time at Fashion Week in Milan.”  
“Thank you all. Very illuminating,” Jules said through her tablet app.  
“May I ask why you chose that voice?” Lena asked.  
Jules typed and replied, “It has the most human sound of the options available. I have ideas to improve this app, so I’m learning app design.” She typed more, “I’d like to find a technology that follows eye movement. It could work for people who can’t type or have mobility limits. And I need a voice.” Jules looked to Rey, hoping they would explain more.  
“Jules and I have been talking about designing something that we could use for other species who can’t communicate in earth languages, something that lets them communicate with humans. Many of the off-planet species have adapted a sign language that space faring races use, but most humans wouldn’t bother to learn it. We’re looking for someone willing to record a vocabulary. Recording and editing that and incorporating it into an app will take a lot of work, but Jules wants to give back and help others who are in a similar situation to hers.”  
Jules nods and smiles. 

“That’s very laudable, and ambitious,” Lena remarks, “but certainly not impossible as far as I can see. Even if you’re working for me, I would encourage you to pursue projects that are meaningful to you.”  
Jules looks very encouraged and looks around the table eagerly for the next question.  
Jess takes her turn. “I’d like to know what you did in your prior career, to get a feel for how it might be applied here.”  
Here Jules looked to Rey, who nodded and picked up a remote to turn on the television, which showed a blank screen, while Jules made some changes in the tablet setting. “I set the tv up as a screen mirror in case some of the questions called for a more elaborate answer. The voice is good for basic communication, but it’s a little slow when you’re saying a lot. This,” Rey gestured toward the tv screen, which now showed a basic word processor interface, “loses something in the way of face-to-face communication, but Jules can be a lot more detailed this way.”  
Lena noticed that the young woman worked efficiently with the keyboard and touchpad while also smoothing a hand over her lap with a third hand and using the fourth to get a sip of her cooling tea. It was only moments before Jules’ answer was flowing across the screen.

_I can get very passionate about my former profession, so please let me know if I’m going into more detail than you need. I’d like to inform you, not bore you._

The humans were a little surprised by the quip and looked to Jules to see her smiling with a bit of self deprecation in her expression. As she continued to type, she hummed a series of soft notes low in her chest, as if to accompany the words she wrote. The sounds seemed to match the narrative in a way that reminded Lena of the intent of music scores to silent movies, but far more subtle.

_I love my planet, but the current ruler is a despot. He and his cronies in charge of our government are terribly oppressive._

_I come from a people who were once very proud of our history, the way we overcame struggles and worked together to find the best solutions to challenges, and how we sacrificed for the greater good. It became very important to record this progress, and history guilds were created. Members, like myself, were highly trained and tested to resist bias and record the actions of our government, military, artists, and citizenry as accurately as possible. We wanted to prove to the rest of the universe that our ways were best._

_I was trained from a young age to use our methods of recording. Visual, audio, temporal, and something like your written language but more adapted to our multi-layered style of communication. I’ve been able to learn and adapt to your similar technologies easily._

_Once I became a working historian I was assigned to a five-person team and an area of coverage. I advanced until I reached one of the most difficult arenas of historic record, politics. Each team is intended to work together to examine the multiple methods of recording events and occurrences and to decide how to the closest account of the absolute truth. That way it was an agreement of five rather than the view of one._

Lena thought that now might be a good time to ask about what had happened to Jules that forced her to flee. “Jules, this doesn’t relate to your qualification for the job, but would you feel comfortable telling us what happened? How you ended up here?”

Jules nodded and continued typing. As she typed, her second pair of arms would occasionally gesticulate, indicating herself, or an action in her story.

_“It feels easier to talk about now that I feel safe. Safer._  
When things started to change, it happened very fast.  
They got to my boss first. And it started with little things. He would tell me falsify something and that we would change it back when the inspector left. But I had a feeling he would never leave. So I started working on two concurrent versions. A fake one to please the inspector and to show my supervisor, and the real one. It got complicated. I don’t want to go into that or how I was threatened. But I didn’t have a family they could threaten. That’s what made it harder for them to get to me. I couldn’t go against everything I’d trained for and sworn to uphold.  
I knew I had to get away. And I heard things about others who were escaping. I did the best I could and ended up here.” 

“Thank you,” Lena said. “That leads me to another line of thought. Do you think you could you lie if I needed you to? For instance, if I needed to be secretive about my whereabouts?”  
_“Yes. That is different. My job before was to tell the truth in recording what happened. That is not this job.”_  
“What if I asked you to steal something from one of my competitors?” Lena asked.  
_“Is it something you need to be able to survive?”_ Jules asked in return.  
“No, it’s just something I want,” Lena said.  
_“No, I would not do that,”_ Jules said and shook her head to emphasize her answer.  
Jess interjected next. “You’re overqualified. Will you get bored?”  
_“No, I don’t think so. I enjoy the domestic tasks that come with the position. When I’m not busy with that, I love reading and learning. Having time to do that pleases me immensely.”_

Lena turned to Robert. “You’ve been very quiet. Do you have anything you’d like to ask?”  
“No, not at the time,” he replied to Lena. He turned to face Jules and with a gentle voice said, “I feel the only real way to see how you would do in the position is to work together and start to train you.” He and Lena had discussed this contingency already. “How would you feel about coming to the residence for a few shifts to see how things go?”

Jules nodded, excited, and let out a cheery pip and whistle-like sound.  
“I have some ideas about makeup that we could use to make your time in public spaces easier, too,” he said, adding, “Though, since I don’t know anything about your skin sensitivity, we may have to just try a few things and make sure you don’t have a bad reaction. Is that acceptable?”  
_“If you tell me the ingredients I can do some research to see if it’s likely compatible before we try it. If so, then yes,”_ Jules said.

After that, the plans for how to proceed flowed rather smoothly and Lena’s group prepared to leave.

As Jules showed Robert and Jess to the door, Rey and Lena lingered behind.  
“Thank you for giving her this chance,” Rey said.  
“You were right. She’s a good candidate. But the only way to know is to let Robert start working with her. He likes her or he wouldn’t have offered.” Lena discreetly pulled Rey into the kitchen and kissed them soundly until they heard Jess from the front porch.  
“Ms. Luthor, are you coming or should we send a car back for you?”  
Lena laughed and slid her arms from where they had settled across Rey’s shoulders.  
“Gotta go,” she said.  
“See you later,” Rey whispered, trying to regain their composure before walking Lena to the door. 

Once the car had pulled away and the front door was closed, Jules pulled Rey into a celebratory dance, complete with her best dance moves, which lately had been inspired by her binge watching Bollywood movies, and high notes and vocal chimes. Rey did their best to keep up.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jules in training, bookended by a couple important realizations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts right where the last one ended after the interview. Also this is another Jules-heavy chapter. We’ll get back to the main story soon. Let me know if you are interested in a separate story about Jules* (you’ll understand the asterisk later) journey.

In the town car, Robert, Jess, and Lena discussed a few things in preparation for the trial run. Security would have to be notified and briefed on Jules’ alien status. Robert would prepare the guest room. It had doors accessing the main apartment and Robert’s suite, and either could be secured. Jess reviewed Lena’s schedule and pointed out that the upcoming L-Corp Gala fundraiser was something that Jules would have to be prepared for or they would have to hire hair, makeup and wardrobe staff for the occasion and make arrangements for that. Robert promised to asses Jules’ potential skills there. 

While Jess and Robert went over some of the finer details of her life, Lena’s mind wandered back to her mention of her chosen family. It was true that her feelings for Rey were growing deeper, and for a moment she felt a constriction of fear in her chest, but it eased away almost immediately. Rey was safe. Of that she was sure. At first her confidence about that had centered on the Agency contracts, but now she felt it in her heart. 

Rhea had taught Lena a cruel lesson, and looking back it was easy to see where she had fallen for the queen’s lure. Rey was nothing like that, though. Rey was genuine and caring, not just about her but about others who needed help. Rey’s work was on a different scale from what Lena was trying to do with L-Corp, and a decidedly more underground version, but with very similar goals. 

If she had met Rey in other circumstances, Lena wasn’t sure either of them would have taken the steps to go beyond a conversation. Of course she would have been attracted to Rey, and she might have flirted, but she never asked anyone for a date. She’s not sure Rey would have seen beyond her status as a wealthy CEO to try to get past her walls. The more time she spent with Rey, the more evident it was that Lena was an exception to their general feelings about people with power and money. And Rey wasn’t wrong. All in all, she had been incredibly fortunate to find herself in a relationship with someone as special as Rey.

Yes, she paid Rey to be with her, but still she hoped that Rey, perhaps, felt something for her as well. She paid Jess and Robert, too, but that didn’t bother her. She loved them both and they truly were her real family. After her talk with Kara, though, she just didn’t dare to hope for too much. But that was all right. She wouldn’t deny her own feelings. That was a terrible way to live. 

So it was with a tender warmth in her chest that Lena accepted that Rey was becoming part of her tiny family. And that she was in love with them.  
_____

On the following Monday morning, Robert met Jules in the lobby of Lena’s apartment tower at 5:30 a.m. It was still dark outside as a tall thin figure with a hoodie pulled over their head came through the glass doors from the street. Robert could feel the security staff stiffen and tense for action around him before he said, “It’s ok. This is her.” He smiled widely and stepped toward her, holding one arm out to beckon her forward.

“Jules. Welcome. It’s ok,” he assured her.  
She hesitated a moment and then reached up to pull the hood away from her head, first revealing the shock of short white hair and then looking up and around at the four security people there, more than usual because of the shift change. She wasn’t wearing any concealing makeup, so her skin bloomed a red wine color down her throat and blue and yellow striations flowed from the corners of her eyes and down her jawline.  
The staff had been informed that Lena’s potential new personal assistant was not human and given a description of what she looked like, so they weren’t shocked and they adopted more relaxed body language.  
Jules walked up to where Robert guided her for introductions.

“Jules, this is half of Lena’s regular security staff for this building. Today they are changing shifts now, but that varies from day to day to avoid predictability. You’ll meet the other half of the team this afternoon. Normally it would just be the two taking over next, but we arranged to have all four so that they could all meet you,” Robert said to her. She nodded her understanding and Robert turned to the duo behind the security counter where the scanner was.  
Clare offered her hand across the counter first. “Hello, I’m Clare Starling,” she said, smiling, and Jules took her hand and shook, returning the smile. “If you don’t mind,” Clare continued, “Stay right where you are and look into this camera,” she said pointing to a lens mounted over a computer monitor beside her. “We’ll have a personnel ID card prepared for you when you’re done today.”  
Jules nodded, and as Clare counted down, three, two, one, she smiled at the lens. A look of confusion crossed her face, though, as she turned to Robert. She gestured at her own face, in particular where she knew the color lines of her skin and the gill-like structures of her throat were visible.  
Robert nodded. “I know what you’re wondering,” he said. “Clare, show Jules how the ID works.”  
“Sure thing,” Clare responded as she pulled a badge holder off of her belt. She turned it over, revealing a plain white plastic card. When she moved it under a hooded light behind the desk, Jules could see a picture of the officer next to some identifying text and a superimposed L over the whole surface of the card. Clare replaced the badge holder and spoke to Jules.  
“Your card will give you temporary access to use the elevator to the penthouse, even though Robert will be with you at all times for now. It’s just to help you get used to the system and protocol.”  
Jules nodded her assent and said ok in her own language, which sounded like a soft huff with a purr underlying it.  
Clare looked fascinated by the sound for a moment but quickly recovered, saying, “Let me introduce you to the rest of the team here. This is Harry,” she said, indicating the smiling man next to her with the short scruff of beard. They shook hands. “And over here are Keshia and Gerard,” Clare continued, moving behind the desk to the section beyond the security scanner where a short muscular woman with dark skin and a taller, rail thin man with sharp eyes and slightly lighter skin stood.  
Jules stepped through the scanner area, not even realizing that she was being scanned, with Robert close behind her. The pair greeted her warmly and shook hands as well.  
“Ok, I think that’s it for now,” Robert said as he led Jules toward the elevators. “I’ll get you better trained on the security level when we’re positive that you’ll be filling the position.”  
Jules nodded and made her sound of assent again as they stepped inside the lift.  
“By the way,” Robert said. “Lena has asked if you wouldn’t mind helping her, well, both of us, understand some of your spoken language by providing translations. That way you can just speak and hopefully we can understand you even if we can’t make the proper sounds to speak it ourselves.”  
Jules was surprised and overjoyed. She started immediately by using her phone notes and vocals to show Robert the difference between an enthusiastic “yes,” with which she replied right away, and the “ok” that she had used at the security desk. By the time they had reached the penthouse floor, Robert had used his phone to record Jules’ vocalizations and his spoken translations, which he would compile in a sound file he would deliver to Lena after he had a significant amount of communications to count as a Lesson 1.

The morning began with Robert introducing Jules to what his schedule and responsibilities looked like. They talked about which tasks Jules already knew how to do, what she could learn, and what might have to be hired out.  
Jules would type out her answers, and if there was a phrase that either of them thought would be used frequently, Jules would speak it first while Robert recorded, and then he would record his own voice doing the translation.  
Among the topics they covered the first day were the care and organization of Lena’s wardrobe and personal product inventory, including her custom formula makeup, grocery and pantry stocks, household cleaning, kitchen organization, bed and bath linen rotation, the household washer and dryer, and how to accomplish these things with a minimal interference in Lena’s daily life.

The more they worked together, the more Robert was sure that Jules would be a good fit for the job. She was positive and fun. She had a wry wit. She was an extremely fast learner and an excellent researcher.  
The next step would be to introduce Jules to all the business people Robert interacted with on Lena’s behalf. Also to get Jules used to calling her Ms. Mercer in the outside world.  
In the early evening before Lena returned home, Robert and Jules worked together to create a makeup look that would let Jules pass as human without taking an extraordinary amount of effort or time. They took it on as a challenge with Robert giving Jules a crash course in makeup application and the gentler ways of removing it. They exchanged wardrobe ideas as they prepared dinner. The plan was for Jules and Robert to share the evening meal with Lena that night so that they could update Lena on how things were going. 

When Lena texted Robert that she was leaving the office, he showed Jules through the timing of setting the kitchen island, where Lena preferred to eat for informal dinners, and getting everything ready to plate, usually after Lena had a chance to change out of her work clothes and switch gears.

“Sometimes,” Robert began, making sure he had Jules’ full attention, “Lena has had an intense day and just wants information presented in the most efficient way possible with no social frills. On those days, she’ll come in, dump her purse and heels, say ‘Report,’ and head to the wardrobe. If that happens, just follow her in while she changes, tell her anything she needs to know like reminders if she has any business calls scheduled for the evening … Jess will keep you posted on that kind of thing … or social plans. If it’s just day to day household stuff that she doesn’t need to make a decision on right away, just save it for later. Set out some food and wine, some water, and disappear.” Robert took a breath and noticed the fretted expression on Jules’ face. “She hasn’t had one of those days in a while, but it will happen. I just want you to be prepared. It’s nothing personal. It just means there’s a lot on her mind and it’s your job to add as little as possible and ease the way so maybe she’ll be able to relax and sleep.”  
“Got it,” Jules said, in an affirmation that Robert had learned earlier in the day. Jules had listed the interpretation as, “Understood, I understand, I get what you’re saying.”  
“Great,” he said, looking at his phone where a signal from security let him know that Lena was on the way up in the elevator. He smiled reassuringly at Jules, and they both turned toward the door.

Watching the process of Lena coming home and transforming from high-powered CEO to relaxed twenty-something was a sight Jules hoped she got to see a lot more of. First Lena deposited the purse on a table by the door. One of Jules’ overnight duties was to have Lena’s outfit for the following day set out and the matching purse placed on the same table with the contents from the previous day’s bag switched to the new one.  
Lena looked up at the waiting pair and let out an amused and slightly accented “Hello” to the adorable duo as she stepped out of her heels.  
“Good evening, Lena,” Robert said and Jules produced a melodic trill accompanied by a little wave. Lena smiled and continued to her bedroom to change, pulling her hair out of her tight bun as she strode down the hallway.  
Robert turned to Jules, “What was that you said? We have time to add that to our collection for the day.”  
Jules stepped over to the laptop she had been using for the day and typed out “Welcome home. More literally, You are safe at home and loved. It’s an expression of my people.”  
“I love it,” Robert said. He held up the phone for Jules and she repeated the expression and he added the translation then with a few more taps had it added to their language lesson.  
After a few minutes Lena emerged in much more comfortable looking clothing and wearing her glasses. As they had planned, Robert sat down next to Lena and allowed Jules to plate and serve the meal. They both watched in amazement as Jules used her four arms in perfect coordination to put together a beautiful presentation of a simple meal for the three of them.  
Lena grinned at Jules’ beaming face and said, “This looks fucking fantastic and I’m bloody starving,” as she dove into a mostly vegetable stir fry portion with her chopsticks. When she had swallowed the first bite and moaned in appreciation she looked back and forth between the two of them and said, “So tell me about your day.”

Over dinner Robert effused over wardrobe ideas for Jules, and Lena gave them carte blanche to use any of her fashion resources to have custom clothes made. While the hoodie and jeans would work fine for going to the bodega around the corner, as a representative of Ms. Mercer, Jules would have to look elegant and professional for some of the shops she was expected to frequent. Jules was all in for it.  
For her this was like getting to explore a whole new culture from the inside. It was markedly better than trying to survive on the streets of a new planet with an overly violent escort whom she was constantly afraid of.

Lena was thrilled with the language lesson they had prepared and promised to listen to it later that night. She asked Robert if he needed any input for the gala L-Corp was hosting in three weeks. He told her that her dress was already underway and should be ready in plenty of time. He wanted to arrange a time to teach Jules how to arrange her hair. Lena checked her calendar and chose a night that week when she knew Rey wouldn’t be joining her for the evening. It reminded her that she wanted to invite Rey to be her date for the evening and she should do that soon.

When night fell and the streets were dark again, Robert escorted Jules back to the security desk where she picked up her ID card.  
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he told Jules, who smiled and nodded. “Do you still think you’re up for this?” he asked and she replied with her enthusiastic “Yes.”  
“Ok then. Is it ok if I hug you,” he asked.  
Jules looked down shyly. In just one day, she had come to think of Robert as a friend. They worked well together and she already knew she would miss him when he left. She opened her arms, though the ones trapped inside her hoodie were stifled, and they embraced. Robert could feel the lines and joints of her wings and arms on her back under the hoodie.  
Jules stepped back and pulled her hood up and stepped outside the doors to catch the bus back to Rey’s home for the evening. If everything worked out, she would be moving into the guest room at the penthouse in a few more days for full-time training.  
_____

Rey waited outside Kai’s office with their hands shoved in their pockets. It was a conversation they had been thinking about for a while but putting off. It’s not like they didn’t like having the extra income. That was great. And sure, Lena could afford it. But every time they got a notification that Lena had booked time through the Agency for plans that she and Rey had made together, it just didn’t feel right.   
Now that Jules had started training with Robert and everything was going well there, it felt like Rey’s relationship with Lena had entered a new phase. Like it wasn’t just dates anymore, though those were still amazing. Rey felt included in Lena’s life, and Lena and Jess and Robert were now part of Rey’s.   
Jess had once even texted Rey a photo of Lena, sprawled across her pristine white office couch asleep, heels off, mouth open. The accompanying text said, “This sometimes happens between meetings now. I blame you.” But it was followed by the emoji with a flat line mouth and one raised eyebrow and Rey couldn’t help but get the impression that Jess wasn’t really mad.   
Sure, they still hadn’t been seeing each other that long, just shy of a couple months, but it felt different now and Rey thought it was time things changed.  
They weren’t looking forward to talking to Kai about it, though, because it meant a loss of income to Kai’s business. And Kai was very serious about her profit margin.   
Rey had tried to talk to Kai at her house, but Kai insisted on the office. Soon enough Rey heard familiar footsteps coming down the hall, so they straightened and smiled as Kai walked up, hugged them, and went through her security process.

Once inside, Kai motioned for Rey to take a seat on the couch in the consultation room and Kai sat beside them.  
“What’s this about, Rey?”  
“I want to get out of the contract,” Rey said.  
Kai tilted her head in concern. “Are you unhappy with the arrangement with Lena?”  
“Yes,” Rey admitted. “It’s making me really uncomfortable.”  
“Why haven’t you said anything? You know you’re free to sever the relationship, no explanation necessary. But if Ms. Luthor is not treating you well or there are other problems with her, I need to know if I should let her go as a client.”  
“Kai, it’s not like that. I want to end the business part, not the relationship part,” Rey explained.  
“Why?”  
“I’ve been going out with Lena for weeks now, and she’s amazing. I don’t need to get paid for it. I have real feelings for her, I care about her, and I don’t want her to feel like she has to pay to be with me anymore.”  
“And you think you need to end the business part to continue with the ‘real’ part?”  
“Yes.”  
“Has she complained about having to book your time through the Agency? About paying?”  
“God, no. She teases me whenever she catches me underreporting hours.”  
“You’re not reporting all of your hours? Rey,” Kai stated plainly in admonition. She was not happy.  
“Kai, she pays for time when I’m at her apartment and she’s not even there!”  
“Are you at your own home doing what you would be doing on a normal day?”  
“No, but I’m, like, sleeping late and getting fed breakfast! It’s insane to get paid for that,” Rey insisted.  
“Tell me what your time with Lena is like,” Kai shifted the topic and settled back on the couch.  
The question took Rey off guard a little, but once they started thinking about their answer they began to smile.   
“We really have fun together. When she relaxes and she’s just herself she’s kind of a dork and she’s awkward and playful and nerdy beyond belief. We go out to places she’s never been before, places where people don’t recognize her. And the difference between how she is when she’s at work and when we’re together, it’s like she’s free.”  
“Why do you think she is able to be that way with you?”  
“I don’t know. We’re good together.”  
“That’s part of it. But it’s also because she has a safety net.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“You’re contractually bound to be safe for her, Rey. Sure, you would be anyway, but right now she just needs that guarantee. That boundary. That way she can feel what she feels without risk. She doesn’t have to be afraid you don’t return her feelings for you. She doesn’t have to act any particular way or pretend to be perfect. If she asks you out and you say no, it’s just business, nothing personal.”  
“Kai, it’s not like that.”  
“She’ll let you know when she doesn’t need that safety net anymore. For now, just let her do it her way.”   
“You think she has feelings for me?” Rey asked. Kai rolled her eyes and tried not to think about how sad it was going to be, and all too soon, when this particular client dropped off her account books.  
_____

As they rode their bike home, Rey thought back to that first date and how guarded and nervous Lena had been, and how badly Rey had wanted to kiss that sadness away. It felt like such a long time ago. To Rey it seemed like the sadness had begun breaking apart and melting away like an ice floe since the day they had met. But it was definitely still there. 

And maybe Kai was right. Maybe it was the safety net that let the real Lena come through and let her guard down. Rey stood up on the pedals and gripped the handlebar tight as they worked their way up a hill they could climb easily. But they took their time, shifting into a lower gear. It was important not to miss the little things that someone might notice as inhuman. 

Maybe Rey was trying to move too fast, they thought. Even from the start, Lena needed patience and space, needed to set boundaries and see that they were respected. Kai was right. The contract was a boundary, and Rey needed to respect that. The last thing they wanted to do was to tip that balance and fuck shit up. Rey only hoped that Lena could tell that they really cared for her. Fuck, it was more than just caring. It sure as hell wasn’t about a contract.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me if the timeline gets a little janky in future, y’all. Just roll with it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey meets Supergirl.

Rey pedaled their bike steadily through the city streets, taking in their surroundings, keeping track of the cars around them, pedestrians, vehicles entering the street. It wasn’t always the fastest way to get from one place to another, but you see things on a bike that you’d never notice from a car. Like hidden shelters in an alley or park … or an outdoor jazz concert just starting at the downtown amphitheater. Rey had been riding home from a visit to a legal defense organization that sometimes considered off-worlder cases, and they could use a mental break, so they decided to stop and listen, maybe text Lena to see if she wanted to come join. 

They locked up their bike, pulled a reusable bag to sit on out of their panniers, and took a seat at the end of the front row. Rey pulled out their phone and texted Lena. 

6:50 p.m. Sugar Rey: There’s jazz at the amphi if you’re done w work and want to join me. Grab a blanket if you’ve got one  
7:08 p.m. LusciousCorp: Omw. Hope lab coats will do. 

It was the first concert of the season and what the organizers didn’t realize was that a Kritch-rakkan had burrowed under the bandstand one night last month to hibernate. What even the Kritch-rakken didn’t know was that their species really hated alto sax.

In the middle of a solo, the bandstand shook like there was an earthquake, the dirt underneath it vibrated and transferred to a liquefaction state, and then a giant disc-shaped being with ten legs, four with claws, slipped out from the disrupted earth, unfolding and emitting a grating scream. It snapped its claws in the air and whacked one of the fleeing musicians’ chairs, rocketing it into the side of the CatCo building across the way.  
Rey was right there, front row. People scrambled and fled, but many of those closest to the front were frozen in shock.  
Rey spoke loudly so their voice would carry but tried to sound calm and soothing, “Everyone just walk away. Be calm and move away from the area. Be quiet, stay calm.” 

The alien’s double-layered back expanded mightily, then contracted, sending a _whoosh_ of fine dirt out in a cloudy arc, coating Rey, who closed their eyes just in time.

Rey coughed. Then started to talk w the alien. 

“Hi, my name is Rey. Can you understand English?”  
The alien grunted in assent.  
“Can you speak any English or other first languages of this planet?”  
There was a harsher sound in reply.  
“Ok. I can see if any of the off-worlders I know can communicate with you better. For now, are you willing to sit with me and see if we can get you to a better place? Some place comfortable for you, but where the humans won’t come after you?”  
The creature vibrated in place. Rey could feel it travel through their bones. The Kritch-rakken snarled then and waved its arms and smashed another chair, and a couple music stands went flying. Rey sat down on the ground right in front of the alien. Rey was scared. Rey was saying _you can do this, you can do this_ over and over to themselves in their head.  
“Ok. I get it. It feels like you’re probably really frustrated and just wanted to be left alone. Is that right?”  
The alien growled and vibrated again.  
“I’m so sorry, that must be difficult.” 

Alerted by the DEO, Supergirl touched down just behind and to the left of Rey. She recognized them as Lena’s new definitely more than a friend. She could hear their smooth voice, talking to the alien. She wasn’t familiar with this kind. It had a thick exoskeleton, but more vulnerable looking joints. Its back was like two huge disks, one floating just a centimeter above the other. She could see it shift and vibrate. It didn’t seem like the huge threat that Winn described from their surveillance monitoring. When she landed it looked at her briefly but then turned its attention back to Rey. It didn’t see her as a threat.

She knelt down next to Rey.  
“Hey, are you ok? Can you communicate with it?”  
Rey didn’t look over, but they could see the red cape in their peripheral vision. They knew who it was. They’d never spoken with Supergirl before, but her voice sounded oddly familiar.  
“Sort of. I’m pretty sure they can understand me. And I think I’m getting the meaning of what they’re saying back. I think the band woke it up and they weren’t happy about that.”  
“Ok,” said Supergirl. “Unwanted wakeups make me super grumpy, too. I can take over. You could get hurt if things go bad.”  
“No. I’ve got this, Supergirl. I’m doing fine. I’m just going to text a friend and get some help. Can you keep folks back? I don’t want this one getting nervous again.”

“You’ve got it,” Supergirl nodded, and she really wanted to know who Rey was texting as she watched them tap rapidly on their phone.

Just as she stood and turned around, though, her DEO backup and the NCPD rolled up, pouring out of vehicles with guns drawn, and it all escalated fast.  
Rey stood with Supergirl and they both put themselves between the alien and the cops, hero and civilian holding their hands out, palms forward. 

“Hey, hey, officers, everybody … Everything is going to be fine if you will just put your weapons down and let me finish talking to my new friend here. We were just talking. But you really really need to put those weapons away.” Rey started to sweat, not moving, speaking very calmly. Inside they were scared out of their fucking mind. They had never had weapons pointed their way, and they knew one nervous finger could set the whole bunch of cops off. Their heart was hammering now. They barely picked up that Supergirl, next to them, was talking down the other group much the same way.

“Alex, everybody, stand down! Back up, please. Get back in the trucks. We’ve got this if you can just back off and go away. Send word to the NCPD, too. We need some space and just a chance to help this being.”

The cops and DEO stood frozen but not lowering weapons yet. Rey could feel the sweat roll down their forehead and the sting as a drop fell through their lashes and into one eye, making their nictitating membranes swipe across their vision. This wasn’t going well. Rey kept making gentle down motions with their hands, as if that was going to make cops do anything. 

“Supergirl?” Rey started, trying to think of contingency plans.  
“Yes?”  
“If they start shooting …”  
“I will step in front of you and block the bullets,” Supergirl said confidently.  
Rey didn’t move their head but they cut their eyes over at Supergirl, trying to get a read on the superhero. It just felt so strange to hear those words. And they appreciated the sentiment, but this could be the only surviving individual of this species anywhere for all they knew.  
“No, Supergirl. I’ll hit the dirt, you save our friend,” Ray said, pointing a thumb back at the Kritch-rakken. “That’s what we’re gonna do if it comes to that.”  
Rey shook their head, having a hard time believing the situation they were in. I’m giving orders to fucking Supergirl. I hope she fucking listens. 

Supergirl nodded her assent, but then she saw Alex lower her alien sidearm and heard her give the command to the rest of the DEO officers, and saw her lifting her fingertips to her comm and asking headquarters to send the command to Maggie and the NCPD on the scene. 

She felt it was safe to look back at Rey, whose eyes were back on the police officers with their body poised like an athlete ready to respond in a split second.

Maggie, on the NCPD side of the confrontation, yelled out, “Stand down! False alarm, everybody. Get back in your vehicles!” and the police lowered their shotguns and assault rifles and seemed more than happy to get away from this situation, getting back into squad cars and slamming the doors. “Sorry!” Maggie added, and Kara wasn’t sure if she was speaking to the new alien or her and Rey. Possibly all of them. After another few seconds the responder vehicles turned off their emergency lights, backed up and drove at least a block away. 

Rey knew they would stay close, though.  
They breathed out a sigh of relief and looked over to meet Supergirl’s eyes.  
Supergirl returned a sad smile and without thinking said, “Lena would kill me if I let anything happen to you.”

To Rey, everything for a moment felt like it was in slow motion. They heard the alien huff behind them. It didn’t sound angry, more like it was saying, “Goddamn violent stupid bags of water.” Rey wondered if they have telepathic communication, and let out a small huffing laugh of their own. And then they really looked at Supergirl. They saw those blue eyes. That distinct scar by her brow, highlighted so clearly by the stage lights. And mostly that sad look that said, _you got what I could have had, but it was my own damn fault_. Recognition hit like a sledgehammer.  
“Kara?”

Supergirl’s expression changed in an instant to a slapstick version of _Oh, shit_. Though Rey was sure Supergirl would actually use more tame language if what they had heard about her was true.  
Rey almost started to laugh before someone suddenly slammed into their side.  
It only took a flash of her scent and a glimpse of that long dark hair for them to realize it was Lena, wrapping herself around them, saying, “Oh my god are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay?” And then pulling back and looking at Rey and stroking their face and wiping sweat and dust from their skin and patting them down as if they might be broken somewhere. 

“I think so,” said Rey. The shock of the adrenaline easing off made them suddenly really fucking tired and they wrapped their arms around Lena and held tight.

Rey met Kara’s eyes over Lena’s shoulder, sending her a questioning look. _Does she know?_ Supergirl looked a little guilty and shook her head no. Rey frowned, discreetly cocked their head and scowled at her, showing Kara how fucked up they thought that was. Supergirl looked down at her hands, clearly ashamed and conflicted. Rey felt a little bad about the silent confrontation and tried to convey a little more understanding when Supergirl looked back up at them.

The Kritch-rakken was … _sitting?_ … and making a low hum that Rey interpreted as impatience, like tapping fingernails on a table.  
Fortunately, Rey’s phone vibrated and they had a message from the contact they had texted.  
“Supergirl, can you get your thu- … cop friends … to let a box truck through on 2nd? That’s our ride,” Rey asked, refraining from calling the DEO thugs.  
“On it,” Supergirl said, happy for something to do other than watch her best friend hold someone else. Yet another person who now knew her secret identity before Lena did.

Turning to Lena, Rey asked, “How did you get through the cops?”  
Lena looked a little abashed as she let go of Rey and stepped back, but not that much.  
“Um, the detective who arrested me is over there and I told her she owed me.” Lena didn’t look a bit remorseful. “Rey, what were you doing? Why didn’t you clear out and let Supergirl handle this?”

Supergirl herself had stepped away and was trying different languages she knew to see if she could speak with the Kritch-rakken. 

“I’m trained in de-escalation. I’ve never had to use it in front of an army of cops, though. I’m surprised I didn’t piss myself to be honest.”

Lena didn’t know what to say. She wanted to ask Rey so many questions. Was calming down giant angry aliens all part of their job? But she knew she shouldn’t say too much in front of Kara. “This kind of thing … ?” Lena asked, concern spreading across her face, hoping Rey knew what she was asking.  
“Sometimes. Better me than them,” they said, nodding at the DEO trucks.  
Had Lena fallen in love with a second hero would will risk their life for others on a regular basis? She knew Rey had said they were bullet proof, but did that go for a hail of gunfire? What if the alien had crushed them or thrown them into a building?

That’s when a panel truck rolled up on the street nearest the stage. It had a familiar food distribution logo on it, and Supergirl wondered if it was one of their working trucks or was it disguised to look like one of their trucks.  
_____

Rey spent most of the rest of the evening making sure the Kritch-rakken had a place to stay for the night and an idea of where they could settle them more permanently. They made a few calls until they found someone who could communicate better, and the rest wasn’t difficult.  
Rey really wanted to see Lena again, though. They had had to leave quickly, and they knew that scene had been stressful for her. 

Rey: Hey, is it ok if I come over? I just want to make sure you’re all right  
Lena: Of course. I’m still up.  
Predictably, Rey got a notification from the Agency app shortly after.

Rey tapped lightly on the penthouse door and waited a few moments before it opened. Lena was in sweats and a soft, baggy long sleeved shirt. She stepped aside to let Rey in and they embraced as soon as the door closed.

“Are you ok?” Rey asked.  
“Me? Are you ok?” Lena replied with her face still tucked into their shoulder.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.”  
“I was so scared,” Lena admitted.  
“Me too,” Rey whispered into her hair at the crown of her head. They tightened their arms around Lena’s shoulders.  
“All I could think was, ‘Not you too.’”  
“What do you mean?” Rey asked.  
“I don’t want to have to worry about your safety, too. That you’ll go rushing into dangerous situations,” Lena said.  
“Who else are you worried for?” Rey asked, thinking they already knew the answer.  
“Nobody,” Lena said in a small voice.  
After several minutes of holding each other, Rey pulled back and led Lena to the kitchen island where they sat her down and went to get her a glass of water as she wiped away her tears with the shoulder of her t-shirt.  
“You really are friends with Supergirl, aren’t you?” Rey said.  
“Yes, I am. Why, did she say something to you tonight?” Lena asked.  
“She said, ‘Lena would kill me if I let anything happen to you.’”  
“Ha! That’s funny. Supergirl being afraid of me,” Lena said with an uncomfortably false laugh.  
“You know, don’t you?” Rey asked.  
“Know what?” Lena said without pause.  
“Who she is.”  
Lena was quiet, hunched over her water glass with her hair falling in a curtain between them.  
“You don’t have to say anything. I just … I thought you must. I just wanted to be sure.”  
“So you recognized her?”  
“Yeah. I’d never spoken to Supergirl, but her voice was familiar. Then when I had a chance to look at her … It wasn’t hard.”  
“I trust you not to reveal it to anyone,” Lena said. It wasn’t a threat, but it had a weight of responsibility. A mantle Rey had to bear now.  
“Of course. But … How does she think you don’t know?”  
“It’s her secret to tell, and she hasn’t told me. For some reason … and I think I know why … she doesn’t want me to know.”  
“It seems like it would be a lot of work for you, having to pretend that way.”  
“I don’t mind. You know how I get to step away from being a Luthor and a CEO when I’m with you?” Rey nodded. “I think I’m that for her.”  
“Oh. I guess I get that. But I don’t have to pretend I don’t know who you are or what your day job is.”  
“Well, I never said it was healthy. I love her. And I can do this one thing for her until she’s ready to tell me. Maybe one day.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A farewell, a new beginning, a confession, and a revelation. See end notes for art link!

Lena couldn’t remember a time when she had felt the need to cry so much in her life. Every knockdown from her family had been an opportunity to show her defiance, but now she was reduced to a tearful mess just watching Robert roll two suitcases into her foyer by the door. Jules placed a comforting hand at her back, and Lena appreciated the gesture, but it did nothing to ease the surge of sadness that kept coming in waves. Neither did cursing under her breath, which she had been trying all morning. She had to pull her fucking self together.  
Lena took in a huge breath in an effort to stave off the next batch of tears. She wanted Robert to leave on a positive note, not feeling guilty for moving on and going home to his family.

“I’m so sorry for being such a mess, Robert,” Lena apologized. “I’m really very happy for you. And, fuck, it’s not like you’re leaving the planet. I know the internet exists in Puerto Rico,” she laughed.  
“That’s true,” Robert assured her. “As much damage as the hurricane did, President Marsden’s disaster aid initiatives have helped restore all the services needed to help the recovery. I’m just a call away. In fact, I expect regular Skype calls from you both,” he said to Lena and Jules.  
As Jules set the cake she had made on the dining room table with the coffee service, a knock sounded at the door. Lena tapped a tablet next to her to see the message from her security team.  
“It’s Rey,” she told the others, and Robert went to open the door.

Rey stepped into the room, looking a little self conscious. They hugged Robert first, embracing the man who had helped them understand more about who Lena was beneath the professional mask and who had made them feel welcome in their home. They had become fast friends and it felt like saying goodbye had come far too soon.  
Rey wasn’t sure what to say, so they stepped back from Robert only to be immediately embraced by a teary-eyed Lena. Rey wrapped strong arms around her and hugged her close to their chest. They felt themselves getting choked up already.  
Lena stepped back and issued a warning, “Don’t you start, too. I just stopped and I don’t want to go all waterworks again.”  
Rey laughed and tried to find a lighter topic. “Hey, look, cake!” they said, pointing to Jules’ creation. “That’s my favorite!”  
Jules puffed up with pride. This particular confection was a specialty that had taken many an experiment to perfect. It wasn’t a recreation so much as an homage to a dessert from her home planet that was always served at momentous occasions. She had wanted to make it right away when she had first moved in with Rey, but the ingredients available on Earth just couldn’t approach the original. She had finally been satisfied with the creation of this airy sweet cake with a fruity tart center layer that complemented the other flavors. The top was a hardened caramelized sugar glaze.

Jules served coffee and the four of them sat and talked, much of it praising the cake, and more about Robert’s plans for when he was home again and the restoration projects he’d arranged to work on.  
It had only been a week and a half since Jules had moved in, but she had caught on so fast and integrated into the household so well there wasn’t any need for Robert to stay longer. Rey observed the three of them together and saw what a tight unit they had become and felt a little bit like an outsider. They had been busy with Off-World Assist lately. The day to day tasks, like sourcing food for clients with special needs, was time consuming. It might be time to get some help, they thought. Rey got lost in their mental wandering for a bit but came back when Lena put a hand over theirs.  
There was a lull in the conversation and Jules exchanged a meaningful look with Robert and tapped gently on her saucer with her spoon.

“Jules came to me a few days ago with a very special request,” Robert began. “She asked that I speak for her today, and then she has an announcement.”  
Rey and Lena looked at each other and back to Robert and Jules, having no clue as to what would come next.

“As you know, in Jules’ culture, people sometimes change their names when they enter a new phase of their lives or mark a milestone or achievement. Taking over the household here and being able to live independently again is such a change, and Jules has kindly chosen to … honor me … in her choice of new name.” Robert tried to maintain his composure, swallowing hard and tilting his head back.  
Jules stood, and in her own language spoke the proclamation of her new name. Though Lena and Rey had learned a good bit of the vocabulary that Jules used every day, they only recognized a few common words and the name Jules used for Robert, which was a two-note approximation that did sound somewhat similar to the human pronunciation, but in its own way was entirely different. Jules looked to Robert to translate, as they had agreed.  
“Beginning tomorrow, when a new chapter of my life begins, I choose to be called Robert the Second,” Robert translated, finishing with his eyes locked with Jules’ in an understanding of the baton being passed. He cleared his throat and continued, “And then she wanted me to say a lot of fluff about myself that was entirely over the top, and I refused to do it.”  
Jules laughed and swatted Robert on the shoulder and Rey and Lena joined in, congratulating Jules as was appropriate for her people’s tradition. 

Later, when it was time to go, Robert kissed Lena and gave her a fierce hug. “You always have me,” he whispered to her. It was something he would say to her when he perceived she was feeling alone, and he wanted her to know that just because he was further away didn’t mean he wouldn’t be there for her.  
“You have your own family to care for. Your own life to start,” she spoke so quietly he almost didn’t hear her.  
“You are family, Lena,” he said. “You need to come visit me and meet the rest of my family. They will love you, too.”  
“I will,” she promised. “And when you’re ready for it, I’ll ship the construction reinforcers and a couple installation crews.” Robert nodded.  
When Hurricane Maria had scoured his island, Lena had asked him what L-Corp could do. The natural elements would recover in time and possibly fare better without technological interference, so they came up with an idea to help make the structure of domestic homes more resilient in the face of high winds and driving rain. Testing had been fast tracked and two of the L-Corp manufacturing facilities were now cranking out multiple sizes and application formats of the flex-brace by the thousands. Containers of the hardware were being shipped to a holding facility in Florida to be shipped when the bulk of reconstruction began.  
“I’m going to hold you to that promise,” he said. “You’ll come see all the good you’ve done.”

He pulled away and stepped into a crushing hug from Robert the Second, who said many things to him in her language, some of which he was able to understand. She finished with one that he knew. “I’ll email you a translation.”

Rey hugged him gently, knowing what the new Robert’s hugs were like.  
“There’s never been anybody like you for her, Rey. Be good to her,” he said quietly. Rey nodded and tried to blink back a tear.  
“I will,” Rey promised. “Thank you for everything. If there’s anything I can do to help, you know, hook you up with some of my people for special tasks or whatever,” Rey said, trailing off with the rest of the offer unsaid.  
“I’ll let you know. Thank you,” Robert said.  
And after one more mutually tearful hug with Lena, he was gone.

After Robert left, having insisted that no one should accompany him to the airport but happily using one of Lena’s drivers to take him there, the apartment felt bereft of his energy, and Lena and Rey curled up together on the couch. Jules had retired to her own rooms, and when she emerged again in the morning, she would be Robert the Second. She had assured them that it wouldn’t be necessary to tack on “the Second” in addressing her, but that it was important to know it was there. She and Robert had already introduced the concept to the business people who had met her as Jules, most of whom simply accepted the change as an odd quirk that was part of the package with Ms. Mercer’s new assistant. Because Ms. Mercer was such a valuable account, a little eccentricity was not an issue.

“I hope it’s ok that I was here today, Lena,” Rey said as Lena tucked under their arm in the way that had come to feel so natural to them both.  
“Of course it was. Robert invited you,” Lena said.  
“I know. But it seemed like such a personal thing. You and Robert are family,” Rey said.  
Lena pulled Rey’s arm to her chest and hugged it to her as she looked in their eyes. “I know we haven’t known each other that long, but you are starting to feel like my family, too. And most important, Robert wanted you here. Jules … soon Robert … may be taking care of me and the household, but you’re here for me, too.”  
Rey didn’t say anything and Lena began to feel uncomfortable. What if that’s not what Rey wanted? Who was she to presume something like that?  
“Of course, that’s only if that’s something you want. I would never want to pressure you,” Lena began to sit up but Rey gently urged her back into the cuddle with their arm.

Lena wasn’t wrong that that was a big role to ask them to step into, but she wasn’t wrong that that was how Rey felt about her. Rey wanted to be there for her. They had a lot to think about.  
“I thought Jess would be here,” Rey said quietly.  
Lena sighed. “Jess and Robert said their goodbyes in private. I’m sure she was a mess, and she wouldn’t want me to see her like that. I also think she’s pretending he’s not really leaving,” she laughed. “Their relationship was mostly through text and email, so in a way it won’t change that much.”  
“Still,” Rey said.  
“I know. I’ll check on her and make sure she’s ok,” Lena said.

____

Standing at the large windows of her flat and looking out into the night, Kara took a moment to assess how things were going in her life.  
She had been trying to center herself, figure out who she wanted to be, rebuild her spiritual side. Through meditation and talking with a counselor at the DEO she was doing better and felt like she was coming out of a depression. She felt lighter and more grounded at the same time.  
She had managed to diffuse Coville’s twisted cult, but now there were mounting problems with prisoners held at the DEO. After several detainee protests, legitimate questions had been raised about what kind of justice held individuals there indeterminately, without representation or hearings or trials, in spartan cells with no privacy. It wasn’t really a job for Supergirl, but Kara felt a weight of responsibility considering her own mother had originally convicted and imprisoned many of the off-worlders in DEO cells, knowing what she now knew about her parents.  
On top of that CatCo demanded much of her time.  
She hadn’t had a chance to hang out with Lena in ages, and she missed her.  
She stepped away from the windows and picked up her phone. 

Kara: Hey stranger. How about lunch this week?

Across town, Lena extracted herself from a rather comfortable position nestled under Rey’s arm to reach for her phone. She read the message and tapped her PA app.  
“Robert, how does my lunchtime schedule look this week? Do I have time to take a social lunch?”  
A list of three time windows popped up on her screen.  
“What’s up?” Rey asked.  
“Kara’s asking me for lunch.”  
“Lunch with Supergirl. That’s kinda cool,” they laughed.  
“She’s not Supergirl when we do lunch. She’s Kara, which is much better,” Lena said, feeling protective of her best friend.  
“Hmm. I’ll take your word for it. At least Supergirl helped me out,” Rey said, making the distinction between Kara’s identities. “I’ve just met Kara that once, and I’m pretty sure she was giving me the stink eye.”  
“She was not! I was there,” Lena insisted.  
“Oh, it was only on the inside, but I could tell,” Rey said. Lena returned her attention to the phone.

Lena: How is Wednesday at 1:10?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lena said as she waited for a reply.  
“She was totally jealous and giving me the secret stink eye because she likes you and she just hadn’t realized it yet. I mean, I didn’t know that at the time, but I do now.”  
“You’re ridiculous.”  
“Mmm-hmm.” Rey wasn’t going to fight her about it, but they had seen how Supergirl looked at them, and at Lena. And just the way she spoke Lena’s name. Supergirl was in love with Lena, too. Rey considered that things might get a little complicated in the future of this relationship.

Kara: Perfect! Yay! Can’t wait to see you! [big smile face, clapping hands, broccoli, pizza, potsticker]  
Lena: Broccoli?  
Kara: I can’t help it if there’s no kale emoji, Lena.  
Lena laughed out loud. Rey kissed the top of her head.  
Lena: You’re my favorite.  
Kara: See you then!

Lena returned to her app. “Robert, Wednesday at 1:10 is lunch with Kara.”  
“I’m glad you get to see Kara this week,” Rey said.  
“Me too,” said Lena. “Now, how would you like to take me to bed?”

____

It had been several weeks since Lena had exchanged more than texts and an occasional call with Kara, and though it was nice, being together now felt awkward.  
Kara tried to tease Lena about her relationship with Rey in a good natured way, but Lena could feel an underlying tension.  
“I feel like I used to be totally spoiled by your open social calendar, and I didn’t really appreciate it until someone else started filling up your free time,” Kara laughed.  
“Is that so?” Lena asked.

“Well yeah!” Kara said. And no, she hadn’t been exactly clamoring to get to see Lena. She had spontaneously asked to meet up a couple of times only to find that Lena already had plans with Rey. “I used to be able to just pop over any time and you’d be free to hang out or do dinner before you had a … a … what do you call Rey? I mean, I know it wouldn’t be girlfriend or boyfriend, but what?”  
“We’re still working that out,” Lena said casually. They hadn’t, actually, but it was a good question. What was Rey to her? Lover was part of it, but not all of it. There was so much more to what they had together but no good term came to mind. “As to my previous free time, I think there was more of Jess’ scheduling magic behind that than you realized. I’m sorry to say I made Jess’ life quite difficult some days just to get to spend a little time with you,” Lena admitted.

“Really?” Kara asked, never having realized that their hangouts hadn’t been just open schedule opportunities happily aligning.  
“Well, I was smitten,” Lena said and noticed that it made Kara blush. She’d almost forgotten how fun it was to flirt and tease a secret superhero. “And I knew that as a reporter your free time is always unpredictable.” That had always been the go-to excuse anyway.

“You did that for me?” Kara asked, a little stunned and embarrassed that she hadn’t known.  
“Yes, of course,” Lena said fondly. “You’ve done so much for me, too. It’s always a pleasure to spend time with you, Kara.” In Lena’s mind she was including all of the rescues, too, in how much Kara had done for her, but mostly it was just her unquestioning friendship that meant most. “What about us, now, though? Was it too much? … When I told you how I felt? Is that why we seem to be so distant now?”

“No, it’s not that.” There was so much underlying that distance, but so little that Kara could talk about. She had really lied her way into a terrible situation over the last year. She thought of something that was true at least. “I don’t want to be in the way while you’re building a relationship with Rey.”  
“Kara, our friendship is in no way impeding my relationship with Rey.”

“I know how it feels, though, when you’re really into someone and you just can’t wait to see them again,” Kara said, even then realizing that she felt that way about Lena.  
“It’s true, I have started to … ” Lena almost said fall in love with Rey, and she realized with a sudden pounding in her heart how true that was. Yes, she had already accepted she was ridiculously in love with her paid companion, but just now, it felt deep. Real. She took a drink of her water to stall for a little time.  
This was something she needed to share with Rey before she told Kara. And she needed to think about it before she told Rey. Her mind was racing. If she told Rey, would it change their relationship, too, the way it had with Kara? She needed to set all this aside for another time.  
She cleared her throat and started again, “I have deep feelings for Rey, but it’s not going to be that way with us. And my feelings for you haven’t really changed. They may be more tempered now, but I still … love you … just as much as I ever did.”

“Why?” Kara asked, confused.  
“Why do I still love you?” Lena asked, uncertain about what could be behind Kara’s question.  
“Why won’t it be that way with you and Rey?” Kara clarified.  
Lena sighed, knowing it was past time that she told Kara the truth about Rey. It had been fun at first to let Kara think what she wanted, but it wasn’t fair to keep misleading her.

“Kara, I didn’t meet Rey through a mutual friend or a dating service. Rey is a hired companion.”  
“I don’t understand,” Kara said, tilting her head.  
“I hired a service that would find someone to … go out with me … and guarantee that they wouldn’t try to use me or manipulate me or blackmail me,” Lena said. She noticed that Kara’s posture was stiffening, but she went on, “ … any of the things that I would have to consider if I tried to really date someone. That person is Rey.”

“What?” Kara was quickly growing furious. “That … I’ll … How could they do that to you?” Kara’s scowl became more fierce as she considered the implications behind Lena’s words. She looked as if she were about to stand up and fly off in search of someone to pummel. That someone being Rey.  
“Kara! Kara,” Lena spoke soothingly as she tried to calm her friend down. “I don’t understand why you’re getting angry. Rey hasn’t done anything wrong. They’ve been exactly what I needed. Someone I could trust implicitly and who has been wonderful to be with.”

“You shouldn’t have to pay for that, Lena!” Kara said in a harsh whisper, careful not to let others around them hear.  
“No. But it’s how the world is for me. I don’t think you know what a relief it is for me to have that kind of assurance. It’s so hard for me to be able to trust anyone, Kara,” Lena said, taking Kara’s hand and trying to convey how much she trusted her, her dearest friend.  
“It’s not right!” Kara asserted even as her mind whirled with all the constant lies she told Lena and the thought of how untrustworthy she herself truly was.  
“It’s what I want, Kara.” Lena sat back in her chair and Kara relaxed a little and mirrored her body language. “It’s an ideal solution for me, really.”

Kara was still perturbed, though, as she tried to put together the pieces.  
“But I’ve seen how Rey is with you. That’s all an act?” Kara said, shaking her head.  
“I know Rey cares for me, Kara. Rey is a caring, kind person. That’s who they are. I’m not going to ask for or expect more than that, though.”

“You deserve to be with someone who will love you completely, Lena,” Kara insisted, feeling even as she said the words that she wanted that person to be her. Holy cow. What was she going to do now?  
“I’m certainly not ruling it out, darling. Maybe I’ll find that one day. But right now I’m happy. Truly happy. And I feel very loved. Between you and Rey and Jess … ” Lena paused when Kara’s phone buzzed harshly on the tabletop.  
Kara turned the screen up and looked, a scowl of concern returning.

Alex: Hostiles loose in hq need u now

Lena could tell it was the end of their lunch.  
“That looks important. Go, I’ve got this,” she said.  
“I’m sorry!” Kara said, even as she picked up her purse and looked around the patio for the nearest alley. “I … I … I … ” she fumbled looking for an excuse.  
“It’s ok, you can tell me later,” Lena said, and Kara was so grateful to Lena for being such an understanding friend. More than just a friend. She hugged Lena where she sat and rushed out of the restaurant and around the corner. Lena caught a glimpse of a blue and red blur rocketing through the sky.

___

She was deeply in love with Rey. Not just the happy infatuation kind of love she had thought it was. When had that happened? Lena had little else on her mind after her lunch with Kara.  
They had begun with what Lena would call an easy friendship, with sexual chemistry, and they had definitely connected physically. Rey had been honest and open from the start. And then Rey had helped her through nightmares. Rey had been supportive and comforting when she was tired, encouraging when she was down. Even understanding about her feelings for Kara not going away. And she did feel loved.  
What did it matter that there was payment involved? It didn’t. She loved Rey.  
Trying to conceal it would be foolish. She would just hurt herself in the process if she tried. And Rey deserved to know. They were an emotionally mature person, and Lena was fairly confident it wouldn’t drive them away. Almost certain. Fear bucked inside her at that almost, though. She could do this. She mustered her courage and pulled her shoulders back. She let out a huge sigh when she happened to glance at the time on her computer.  
Now she just had to get through the hours until her date with Rey that evening. It was just dinner at the penthouse, but Jules, now Robert the Second, was excited to cook for them, and Lena was looking forward to seeing what she had put together.  
___

“There’s something I’d like to talk with you about,” Lena said after dinner when Robert had cleared away the remaining dishes and retired to her apartment.  
She stood and led Rey to the couch. Rey felt a little wary because it very much had the feel of the beginning of a capital-T talk.  
As they sat, Lena reached out for Rey’s hand and took a deep breath before she met their eyes.  
“I was having lunch with Kara today, and I realized there’s something I need to tell you.”  
Rey felt a stab of dread but mentally pushed it away. Even if something was happening between Lena and Kara, that was cool. They knew that Lena’s heart had always been with Kara, and that was ok. All relationships change over time.  
“What’s that?” Rey asked.

“I … um … I … ah,” Lena looked down and laughed. “God, this doesn’t get any easier,” she said, pulling her hands back and tucking them close to her body.  
“It’s okay,” Rey said gently, preparing themself for whatever was coming.  
Lena looked directly into their eyes and Rey drifted into that beautiful sea of green they had come to love so much. God they would miss it if they had to give it up.

“I’ve fallen for you,” Lena said softly.  
“What?” Rey asked, suddenly pulled from the task of preparing themselves for heartache and into a very different possibility. Did they hear that right? “What do you mean?” they asked, wanting to be sure.

Lena looked so vulnerable and almost afraid now, biting her lower lip and drawing it under her teeth before she spoke again. “I’m sorry. That’s probably not supposed to happen. Kai said it does sometimes, though. And I don’t want anything to change, I’m happy to keep paying for your time. I just thought you should kno-”  
Rey stopped her, placing a hand on her knee. “Wait, Lena. Hold on. I’m just not sure what you’re telling me, and I don’t want to make any assumptions here.” Rey smiled, trying to reassure her. “Just … tell me in super plain words what you mean when you say you’ve fallen for me.”  
Lena clasped her hands in her lap and wrung them together.  
“I’m in love with you.”

Rey’s mouth fell open, then drew into a smile. Was this happening? “Really?” they asked, and immediately felt dumb for asking. “I mean, wow.” That wasn’t really any better.  
Lena laughed but seemed a little less uncertain.  
“I’m afraid so,” Lena said, her head tilted and a sparkle in her eye.  
“Me too,” Rey said and watched as Lena’s brows knit in confusion before they realized that didn’t really make sense. “I’ve been falling in love with you too,” Rey said. “I love you.”

It was Lena’s turn to gape, and Rey moved closer, holding Lena’s hands and touching their forehead to hers. “I love you and your crazy little family, and I want to be part of it.”  
“You already are, Rey,” Lena said.  
“Yeah. I can tell. I just want you to know, I want that,” Rey said. “But about the Agency … ”  
“I don’t care, Rey.”  
“I do. I want to drop it,” Rey said. “I want to end the contract and just be with you.”  
“You do?”

“Yes. Absolutely. I’ve wanted to for a while now, but Kai said … Kai said I needed to wait until you were ready. I hope that’s okay. Maybe I should have told you sooner,” Rey said, hoping they hadn’t made a huge mistake in waiting.  
Lena pulled back and looked lost in thought for a moment.  
“No, she was right. I just realized today how deep my feelings for you are, and it might have scared me a little if you had told me before.” She looked up at Rey. “It’s not that I haven’t trusted you all along.”  
“I know.” Rey laughed. “You don’t have to try to explain it.”  
“I’m not sure I could,” Lena said, shaking her head. This had been an extraordinary day.

There was just one thing more that she wanted.  
“I want to make love to you,” Lena said. Rey didn’t think their heart could feel any bigger in their chest than it did right then, but somehow it expanded just a little more.  
Lena stood and Rey followed. They kissed … embraced … touched each other in many ways … made their way to the bedroom a few steps at a time, shedding clothes as they went.

Rey hadn’t anticipated that it would feel any different than the other times they had had sex, which had always been special and amazing. But from the moment Lena locked eyes with Rey and wrapped her hands behind Rey’s head, stroking and caressing over the short shaved hairs on their scalp, it did.  
There was a different energy that felt like a magnetic field pulling them together. There was a knowing calm to it, and as their bodies came together, that energy moved with them in waves and soothing moments in between clashes of ferocious passion.  
Rey felt laid bare, exposed. An open kind of trust they hadn’t let themselves experience before as Lena urged them onto the bed and worshipped Rey’s body with her own. Her lips and fingertips skimmed their freckles like a wisp of breath until their skin hummed with the heat of arousal.  
When Lena slipped long, strong fingers inside them and began to play and dance with the responsive lining of their cunt, Rey felt like they were going to levitate off the bed from the ecstasy of it.  
“What are you doing to me?” they whispered.  
“Loving you,” Lena said, as if it were the easiest answer.  
Rey felt a tear slip down their cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know in the comments if you'd like to see a separate story from Jules/Robert the Second's POV, telling their story. 
> 
> Also, I commissioned some art for Lena and Rey! Check out my Tumblr page to see. https://rebellionbear.tumblr.com/post/177527461061/the-first-commission-ive-had-done-of-lena-and-rey  
> I'm an old, so I don't know how to use Tumblr. Lmk if I've done it wrong.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert the Second vs. Supergirl

It was a beautiful morning and sunlight flowed through the filtered windows of Lena’s penthouse, even at this early hour. Robert the Second took the long metal wand in her hands and moved it back and forth over her head, weaving a careful pattern through the air as Robert had shown her. The machine it was attached to issued a high-pitched whine that filled the air but wasn’t overly loud in such a large, open space. At the end of the wand was a flat triangle of gleaming metal with a slit on the far-facing edge, pulling dust motes from the air and the ceiling, all the high spots that were difficult to reach.

As Robert had explained, this was the one attachment of Lena’s custom vacuum that RobertT2 had to be careful using because the suction was so powerful. She couldn’t get too close to anything, and definitely not fabric, but it would save her a lot of work over time if she used it consistently and preventatively. 

RobertT2 felt like she was really catching on to the household routines and doing well so far. Lena had been wonderful in helping her along since Robert had gone home. Jess had been getting her into the swing of managing Lena’s calendar, and through the many texts they shared in the process, the executive assistant was loosening up and RobertT2 felt like they were building a friendship. 

This morning RobertT2 had made a pre-dawn trip to the grocery store, taking advantage of the time when the fewest people would be there. As soon as she got back she’d shed her public guise so she could get back into a comfortable tank top that allowed her arms to move freely. She had put the blocks of tofu and fresh vegetables away and then checked in with Lena to see how soon she would want breakfast. She returned to the kitchen, turned the kettle on, laid out a simple breakfast, and decided to give the fancy vacuum a try.

RobertT2 kept her core muscles tight and the movement of the wand controlled as the music flowed in the headphones Robert had left behind for her. The rhythm of it was so distinct, and she couldn’t understand much of the lyrics, so she improvised a version of her own and sang it out across the apartment, dorsal arms dancing through the air in defiant gesticulation.  
_____

Lena checked the time on her phone as she finished her makeup. It was 5:55, so she had 20 minutes to slip into her work clothes, grab tea, and have a quiet sit with a bit of yogurt and fruit before she went down to the car. 

Though, as she listened to the abundant ambient noise coming from the rest of the apartment, she realized she would have to ask Robert to put a pause on her current chore and … was she singing Rihanna’s “Work”? Lena smiled to herself. RobertT2 was not nearly as invisible as Robert the First, but it wasn’t a change she minded at all. Still, she liked a quiet breakfast and she was sure Robert wouldn’t mind putting the singing on hold and maybe sitting with her for a few minutes to catch up with each other. 

Just as she pulled her blouse over her shoulders a terrifying screech split the air and the whining hum of the vacuum turned into a labored roar. Lena grabbed her taser, and as she crept carefully out into the hallway she heard a harsh cracking noise and a thundering roar of aggression that turned the blood in her veins to ice.  
_____

On an early morning patrol before she went in to CatCo, Kara was vaguely listening for any signs of trouble as she pondered the question of how to tell Lena that she was Supergirl. It needed to be soon, and she thought that a straightforward, in-person talk would be best, but where? 

She would love to do it at her own apartment, where they had had many cozy evenings together, but if it didn’t go well and Lena wanted to leave, there would be the awkwardness of waiting for her driver.

She could meet Lena at L-Corp, but that wasn’t the most private location, and it might feel a little unfair to Lena for Kara to come into her space and reveal something so potentially hurtful.  
Maybe the botanical gardens where Lena had met her to tell her how she felt? That was neutral, and Kara could leave Lena in peace if she needed some space. Kara decided she would ask Lena if they could meet there in private again. And maybe, if things went well, she could tell her that she had begun to recognize her own feelings that were not solely about friendship. Maybe she could be the one to give Lena the love she deserved.

Kara was flying past Lena’s penthouse only to have her attention drawn by an unusual sound coming from the apartment. It felt abrasive to her sensitive hearing and wasn’t like anything she had heard before. As loath as she was to invade Lena’s privacy, she couldn’t just ignore it. She used her x-ray vision to scan the main room of the penthouse and saw an unknown being, obviously alien, waving around an unidentifiable mechanical device and making loud vocalizations. To Kara’s eyes, it all spelled danger. Her protective instincts for Lena raged to life as she sped toward the balcony.  
_____

Because she was distracted, RobertT2 did not hear the heavy booted landing on the balcony, so when she turned around to see a humanoid in a bizarre blue and red costume staring intently at her just a few feet away, and through glass that should not be able to be seen through, she freaked out. She screamed and let go of the vacuum rod, which promptly suctioned itself to a window, choking the motor of its air flow and stressing it fully.

She retreated to the cover of the kitchen island. This had to be one of the attacks on Lena that Robert and Rey warned her might happen, and she would not let this creature harm Lena. She felt her vestigial wings pop out of their recesses, extend to their full (though moderate) span, and shake violently into the battle posture her ancestors had used to strike fear in the enemy. The wings' membrane stretched tight across their frame of thin bones, flushing in bright color. 

In a fraction of a second her body underwent a full-system reflex that harkened back to the roots of her species’ evolution, engorging her capillaries, turning the skin around her eyes and down her throat a dark blood red. Her pupils constricted, giving her acute vision, and her oxygen-flooded brain moved into hyper-speed processing.

The humanoid glared down at the security lock on the door and something like lasers shot out of its eyes. It broke the lock in an instant and came striding into the penthouse and yelling Lena’s name.

RobertT2 bellowed a thunderous warning as her neck pouches quivered into a full ventricular state, and as soon as she felt the poison enzymes fill the chambers she released all six of her darts at once, firing them across the room where they hit the intruder full in the chest.

The humanoid stalled, looking down at the darts lodged in the symbol on the costume, so RobertT2 took advantage and grabbed the heaviest pan from the overhead rack, and screamed “You stay away from Ms. Luthor!” in her battle voice, making the intruder cover its ears. Even though the intruder’s eyes had started to glow yellow again, Robert felt no fear and ran at it, prepared to clobber it over the head before it could get to Lena.  
_____

As the confrontation continued, Lena crouched in her hallway, wearing nothing but her underwear and a blouse. She was sure that much of the noise was coming from RobertT2, but she couldn’t imagine what had thrown her morning into such a violent upheaval.

Staying low, she cautiously took a peek around the corner to assess the situation before exposing herself. Much to her surprise, she saw Supergirl and RobertT2 in a tension-filled standoff. Batlike scarlet wings extended from Robert's back, their span barely more than her shoulders but raised high and vibrating with aggression. Supergirl’s eyes glowed with heat vision. Robert raised a pan above her head and charged, spurring Lena to action. 

“Kara, no!” she yelled over the roar of a vacuum motor ready to blow.  
_____

Somewhere in the depths of Kara’s logical mind it registered. _Lena knows._

Most of her was being controlled by combat-trained instinct, however, and the clear command from Lena also registered. _Stand down._

Kara darted a look toward Lena, whose state of undress made her brain skip momentarily.  
_____

The intruder’s eyes dimmed, but RobertT2 was still on trajectory when Lena yelled, “Robert! Stop!”  
She complied, though she stayed at the ready, only 10 feet or so from the intruder. The humanoid also stayed tensed and focused on Lena. Robert adjusted her grip on the pan, planning how to swing depending on which direction the attacker tried to take to get around her. 

“Both of you stay where you are,” Lena commanded. She straightened and walked to the straining vacuum and turned it off. The long metal wand fell to the floor with a loud clank. The resulting silence in the apartment was disrupted only by a Rihanna song barely muted by RobertT2’s headphones. God, she has that turned up loud, Lena thought. The lyrics were clear.

_Gotta get up out of here_  
_And you ain’t leaving me behind_  
_I know you won't, 'cause we share common interests you_  
_Need me, there ain’t no leaving me behind_  
_Never know, no, both flying out of here yeah_  
_Once we're gone, ain’t no going back_

Appropriately enough, the music made it sound like the score for a modern day showdown. 

Lena walked over to the kitchen island, somehow making the stroll in her bare feet every bit as regal and powerful as she ever was in a severe skirt and high heels. She discreetly fastened two of the buttons on her blouse while her back was turned to the duo, took a deep breath, then tapped Robert’s tablet once and silenced the music.

“Supergirl, what’s going on? Why did you break into my home?”  
National City’s hero spoke with a desperate concern, “Lena, are you ok?!”

“Yes, I was just getting ready for work,” Lena said as she retrieved her taser from the floor and turned off the power. “My balcony door seems to be mangled however.”

Supergirl looked between Lena and RobertT2 a few times.  
“I heard something really suspicious as I was flying by, and then saw this alien with that device, and I thought you were in danger.”  
“I was singing and vacuuming,” Robert corrected indignantly. Her claws retracted into the fingertips of her dorsal arms' hands, which she used to pull down her headphones. Lena understood most of the word sounds. 

Though Supergirl looked like she was prepared to come at Robert again, Lena held out a calming hand toward her and moved to stand between the two of them. Lena looked around the room, assessing the situation, and turned back to Supergirl.

“That’s my vacuum, Supergirl. She was cleaning.”  
Since Lena was standing in front of her now, Robert lowered the pan and let her wings relax.  
Supergirl eyed the device on the floor that now, on closer inspection, looked very much like a vacuum, albeit one that was probably custom designed and made. “It looked more threatening from outside,” Supergirl said. 

“Supergirl, this is my new personal assistant, Robert the Second. She lives here,” Lena said, emphatically. A new look of concern and anger came across her face, “Were you surveilling me, Supergirl?”

“No, no no! Absolutely not! I … it was just because of the noise and … and … the unknown person … I had to make sure you were okay.”  
“My windows have one-way glass. Did you use your x-ray vision to scan my home?”  
“But what if it had been an assassin?” Supergirl defended.  
“That’s an invasion of my privacy, Supergirl,” Lena said, getting a little hot about it. Yes, she would have appreciated a save if it _had_ been an assassin, but it clearly wasn’t. In a measured voice, she finished the introductions.  
“Robert, this is Supergirl. She protects National City. She has saved my life several times. She wasn’t going to attack me.”  
Robert pointed to the balcony door.  
“Yes, despite evidence to the contrary. I can see how you were confused about her motivations,” Lena said, raising an eyebrow at Supergirl.

“Why did I not know you had a live-in assistant?” Kara asked, dropping the pretense of her Supergirl persona. She was sure Lena hadn’t meant to use her real name, but it had come out nevertheless. She wondered how long Lena had known.  
“That’s not really any of your concern, Supergirl,” Lena said, clearly more than a little irritated by the hypocrisy right now.  
Kara couldn’t fail to catch the coldness in Lena’s voice.  
“Right. Of course it isn’t.” She looked down to the floor and remembered that she had taken a direct hit to the chest with a series of darts. 

“What is that?” Lena asked, pointing to the needle-like darts stuck in the House of El sigil.  
Supergirl reached to pluck one out. She was stopped by a high-pitched squeal from Robert, who was shaking her head vigorously and holding out her hands in a universal “stop” gesture.  
“Wait Supergirl. Don’t touch those,” Lena cautioned.

RobertT2 ran back to the kitchen island and picked up her vocal tablet and pressed three words, the third taking slightly longer to navigate to.  
Cate Blanchett’s voice spoke calmly, “Touch. Bad. Kill.” Absently, Lena thought, _Oh, that turned out quite nice._ She had called in a favor from a friend, and the actress had begun recording vocabulary words and sending files when she could, which RobertT2 had been editing and integrating with the app. It was still a work in progress, and Lena hadn’t heard the new voice until just now.  
She pulled her focus back to the three words Robert had chosen. Touch. Bad. Kill.  
Supergirl’s eyes widened in response. Robert tapped a few more times, and Cate said, “I will get.” Robert retrieved a lemon from the refrigerator and cautiously walked up to Supergirl, who let her approach.  
Lena moved closer and examined the darts as Robert extracted each and embedded the points into the lemon.  
“Are those poisonous, Robert?” she asked.  
Robert nodded and pointed to her neck ventricles, which were deflated but still more open than usual. She set the lemon down on the kitchen island.  
Supergirl huffed a little and Robert turned to Lena in exasperation and made a whining trill.  
“You scared her half to death, Supergirl. She thought you were here to try to kill me.”  
“But I’m Supergirl! And she admits she was trying to kill me!”  
“She’s new to National City. She has no idea who you are other than that you’re strong enough to break through my security.”  
“I’m so sorry about that,” Kara said, sincerely wishing she could crawl under a rock and that none of this had ever happened. 

Robert had been tapping on her vocal pad again. Cate Blanchett said, “Not really kill. Words not in vocabulary.” Then she showed the pad’s face to Lena, displaying the sick face and three poo emojis. Lena couldn’t help but laugh, quickly covering her mouth with her hand.  
“I think you owe Robert an apology as well. The darts aren’t deadly, but if your skin were penetrable she may have made you nauseous with a rapid onset of diarrhea.”

Supergirl looked disgusted, but also relieved that the alien who lived with Lena didn’t have fatally poisonous darts.  
“I’m very sorry, Robert. I am very protective of Ms. Luthor, and when I saw you in her penthouse I overreacted.”  
Robert trilled with agitation at Lena. Lena actually had no idea what Robert was saying this time, but she was fairly certain they were thinking along the same lines.  
“She’d like to know why you thought she was a threat when she was just singing and vacuuming.”  
“Um.”  
“I’d like to know that as well.” Lena folded her arms across her chest, which Kara found immensely distracting considering Lena was still wearing only a barely buttoned blouse and her undergarments.  
Robert mirrored Lena’s stance with her front arms, and her rear arms set their fists on her hips.  
“It was someone I’d never seen before. And with the extra … ” Supergirl motioned toward Robert’s arms, “I was afraid … ” Kara let her defense trail off. When she thought about it, it hadn’t looked life threatening. Lena wasn’t even in the room. She had made a lot of assumptions and gone in ready to fight.  
Lena’s glare at that moment rivaled Kara’s heat vision in its intensity.  
Supergirl hung her head. Minutes ago she had felt ready to take the next step and come clean with Lena. Now everything was a mess. And Lena had probably figured out her secret long ago. How hurtful had that been, she wondered. How did Lena hide her knowing?

“Yeah,” Supergirl said, defeated. “I am really sorry.” She looked back at the door she had damaged. “Maybe I can … ”  
Lena interrupted her. “I guarantee you cannot fix that door. Robert, text Jess and have her send the L-Corp personnel who installed my security to come assess the damage and get to work on a replacement.”  
Robert nodded and set to work on her tablet.  
Kara looked at Lena with the guilty expression of a puppy found amongst a pile of kitchen garbage. Lena almost felt sorry for her, but she wasn’t going to let her off the hook just yet. That door repair was going to pull valuable minds from L-Corp work.  
Tight lipped, Lena made a shooing motion at Supergirl, turned, and went back to her bedroom to finish getting ready. Kara’s eyes fell to pale thighs and a sliver of panties uncovered by the blouse before they darted back up.  
Supergirl looked at Robert, who looked up from her text exchange with Jess, and said, “I’m sorry for assuming the worst about you. I hope we can meet again in better circumstances, and that you’ll give me another chance. I’ll just …” and she pointed at the balcony.  
Robert nodded and gave her a little wave but didn’t smile.  
Supergirl made her way outside, grimacing at the melted glass and metal of the security panel, and launched into flight, more mortified than she could ever remember being. 

 

Robert: Sorry to text so early. Someone called Supergirl broke Lena’s balcony door. L wants the people who installed it to come look at it and start repairs.  
Jess: Wtf. Are you kidding me? What happened?  
Robert: She just broke in. I was ready to take her down, tho.  
Jess: I bet you were. How did Lena take it?  
Robert: She’s mad, but not as mad as I thought she would be.  
Jess: Ha. Yeah, she can’t stay mad at SG for long.  
Robert: Does this happen a lot?  
Jess: One thing or another, yeah. Tell Lena I'll have the crew coming over soon. She doesn’t have to wait for them if you’ll be there to let them in.  
Robert: I’ll be here.  
Jess: I’m glad you have Lena’s back.  
Robert: I don’t care who this Supergirl is, she’d better not mess with Lena!  
Jess: I’m afraid that’s a losing battle, Robert. They’ll figure it out one day.  
Robert: Figure what out? 

RobertT2 thought back over the exchanges, how the two women looked at each other, and how Lena had called Supergirl Kara.

Robert: Oh! Oh. Ok.  
Jess: [purple heart emoji, alien head]  
Robert: [pink flutter heart, Asian female human businessperson emoji]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, all. Thank you so much for reading and encouraging me with this story. As I was preparing this chapter yesterday I realized something needed to change that would make it better, so rewriting happened. As a result, the chapter and the future of the story are better, but it also raised the bar for what happens next. I have some work ahead of me, but I promise I will continue to do my best and pour love into this story. 
> 
> Supercorp shippers, stay with me. It's coming.
> 
> The song playing when the vacuum gets turned off is "Desperado" by Rihanna.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is later on the same day that Kara broke into Lena’s penthouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I discovered that the ePub reader I use on my phone doesn't show me chapter end notes from AO3. If you've never seen an end-note from me, and you're interested, look at the chapters in a web browser.
> 
> I've been asking for artist recommendations to do illustrations of Rey and Lena and Rey together, and I linked to the one I've already done. https://rebellionbear.tumblr.com/post/177527461061/the-first-commission-ive-had-done-of-lena-and-rey

Rey stood outside a warehouse sized industrial freezer, shivering. Cold wasn’t usually a problem for them, but this was extreme and they didn’t like it. Still, they had to come here about once a month to pick up a nutrition source for an imperious Gil’Dishpan who chapped their ass on a consistent basis, but the worm deserved to live, and sometimes his telepathy and surprising knack for diplomacy came in handy.  
Even though the hatch-like door was closed, the temperature around it was frigid. Just as Rey was considering taking a little walk, the door opened and their cooler slid out onto the smooth concrete floor. Rey reached into their back pocket and withdrew a few notes of an intergalactic currency that worked for this particular exchange and held them out. The crisp material was sucked from their fingers with a vacuum-like force as the door closed. And that was that. Rey was now the proud owner of a cooler full of frozen farts, or methane clathrate, until they dropped it off at the National City Aquarium. They hauled it out to the parking lot and popped the cooler into the hatchback, making sure the lid was tight before securing it with a cargo net, and headed to the tourism district. 

As they drove, their thoughts drifted to their last overnight with Lena. It had been a revelation of sorts. Rey hadn’t really realized how closed off they had grown, all that time grooming a cool demeanor that helped them maintain their “hey, I can deal with anything” attitude. It was a defense to keep from risking getting hurt. Sure, an aspect of it was real. Having a “father” who tried to abduct you periodically to run painful experiments on you and a mother who was more than kind of afraid of you for your first years did that to a person.

Maybe feeling the kind of love Lena had shown them was something they had been waiting for their whole life. They had never felt an emotional connection so real in an intimate relationship. And even though it was terrifying, maybe they need to try loving with their whole self. They needed to tell Lena about this. 

After the aquarium drop off, Rey felt their phone buzz, a text from Lena. They pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car to read it.

Lena: Can you call me when you’re free?

Rey hit Lena’s number and asked, “What’s up?” when she answered.  
“Hey, I was just thinking, the gala L-Corp is hosting is next weekend and we might need to get you a suit or something,” Lena said breezily.  
“What?” Rey said, feeling a little blindsided.  
“It’s a bit formal, and I didn’t know if you would need a suit,” Lena elaborated. “Or a gown. I’m sorry if that’s presumptuous, if you already have something, but I thought it would be wiser to check.”  
“Lena, this is the first time you’ve mentioned that you expected me to go,” Rey stated bluntly.  
“It is?” Lena asked.  
“Yes. And I can’t. I’m going to Central City next weekend for an annual meetup with people who do work similar to mine,” Rey said. “I know I haven’t mentioned it before now, but I didn’t know you wanted me to be at the gala.”  
“Of course I want you to be there. You’re the person I’m in a relationship with. Fuck,” Lena muttered under her breath. “I’m so sorry, Rey. Robert … Robert the First … always helped keep this sort of thing organized for me with little reminders. Still … entirely my fault. I think we can work around it, though,” she charged on.  
“Lena,” Rey began.  
“Central City is only a couple hours away if we use the L-Corp jet. I could have it pick you up at 7:00 on Saturday and you could be here by 9:00. And if you need to be back on Sunday, you could fly back in the morning …” Lena continued.  
“Lena, no,” Rey said. “I can’t do it. I can’t skip out for a party. Even if you had asked me sooner, this has been on my calendar for a while. It takes a lot of effort to find a weekend when we can all meet,” Rey added, a little irritation seeping into their voice. This was the first time they had seen Lena really use her privilege and wealth to try to make something go her way.  
“But Rey, I need you. I need to have someone strong, like you, by my side when I make our new patent announcement.”  
“The trans matter portal?” Rey asked. Lena had told them it was imminent, but it wasn’t something they had discussed much lately. Rey had their own reservations about that kind of technology being in anyone’s hands here on earth, even though it was used widely among interplanetary races. Humans didn’t seem ready for that. Lena had assured Rey that L-Corp wasn’t going to deploy the technology before they had fully considered the consequences and ramifications. And even then, Lena said, they would begin on a very small scale to test the results. 

“Yes. Morgan Edge will be there. I have to be prepared if he tries anything,” Lena said, sounding confounded. Then with a burst of enthusiasm her tone changed. “Wait! What was I even thinking? Who needs a jet? I can have one of the prototypes flown to Central City this week and you can transport directly to the party. It will be fucking brilliant! I mean, god, it would be amazing to have that be part of the presentation,” Lena laughed, oblivious to Rey’s growing anger. “Here’s our new technology, oh, and here’s my date coming directly from Central City. But we’re not letting anyone know we’ve done human tests already. That’s confidential by the way. So, you know, you would have to transport to a secured lab and come up to the party, but that’s no big deal, right?” 

Rey was steaming as they gripped the steering wheel of their car and glared out over an empty, ugly parking lot with garbage piled along the fence. It was the type of place where they ended up doing much of their job trying to help off-worlders stay hidden and stay safe in this city. Imagining Lena in her gleaming office with a spectacular view of the city, in her perfect suit and her unchecked power, and the kind of wealth that lets you snap your fingers and get whatever you want …  
They realized Lena had stopped talking.  
Apparently she was ready to let them get a word in about this planning.  
“No, Lena,” Rey began, fighting to keep their voice calm. “That is a big deal. One, you need to respect that I said no and stop trying to force this to go your way just because you want me to be your damn fantasy bodyguard or something. And two, what happened to small scale and fully exploring the consequences of this tech? You’re already transporting people? What the fuck, Lena?”

Lena was quiet for a long moment. Rey could practically hear the gears of her mind grinding and switching directions. After just feeling so connected and safe in this new relationship it was a harsh turn to realize that the future of it might depend on what Lena said next. It felt like a claw was ripping at their chest from the inside.

“Fuck,” Lena said as her mind replayed everything she had just said. “I’m sorry, Rey. I completely respect what you do and I know that it’s important. I shouldn’t have asked you to suddenly prioritize my party over your professional commitment.”  
She was pacing in her office, holding a hand to her forehead. She had completely fucked this up. For someone so brilliant she could really be a complete fucking idiot. She wasn’t even sure this was fixable. Her mind whirled in circles, thinking of what she could possibly say next to repair the damage she had done. Every defense that popped up she swatted back down. She had to own what she’d done and live with the consequences.  
She realized she had been quiet for a little too long when Rey spoke a simple, “And?”  
“And that was a really shitty way of showing it,” Lena said in response. “I’m so sorry Rey. I’m … I’m … “ she began, but it went nowhere. She tried starting from a different angle. “We’re in a relationship as equals, and I just acted like a total entitled jackass. God. I apologize.”  
Rey stayed silent on the other end of the phone and Lena felt tears begin to well in the corner of her eyes. “Rey?” she said. “I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me?”  
Rey relaxed a little of the tension that had taken over their body, breathing in and out slowly a few times. “Apology accepted,” they said quietly. “But what about the trans matter portal? What about transporting humans? Was all that small scale bullshit a lie just to assuage my concerns?”  
“No! No, that was the plan and the protocol. But there was an accidental discovery of sorts,” Lena said. “Where are you? I’d feel better if we could discuss that in person.”  
“I’m not that far from L-Corp if you’re there.”  
“Of course I’m at the office. I’ll see you soon,” Lena said and hung up.  
_____

Rey found Lena in her office, pacing and wringing her hands. Rey’s anger had cooled considerably in the drive over, but Lena didn’t know that.  
Rey walked to her and took both of her hands in theirs, stilling them. They waited until Lena looked up and met their eyes.  
“Hey,” Rey said, making sure their tone conveyed the reassurance they intended. It was plain that Lena was terrified she had ruined everything they had started to build. From the tremble in her hands, the way her shoulders were hunched, folding into herself, to the signs of smeared mascara, her whole presence reeked of regret and fear. “It’s ok. We’re ok. I love you,” Rey said. Lena’s anxiety incrementally eased, and Rey went on, “It’s ok to mess up and for one of us to be angry with the other. It doesn’t mean I’ll stop loving you.”  
“It doesn’t?” Lena asked, incredulous.  
“No. I was mad, for sure. I still am a little. But there’s nothing we can’t talk about. And it doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”  
Lena nodded, looking more at ease but still a little uncertain. Seeing Lena like this, knowing that she must have lived a life where love, or a pretense of it, was withheld if she didn’t act a certain way, helped much of Rey’s anger ebb away.  
“You still look a little scared. Is it ok if I hug you?” Rey asked. Lena nodded quickly even as she stepped into their arms.  
“I’ve never met anyone like you,” she told Rey, her words muffled into their shoulder.  
“I guess you got pretty lucky then,” Rey replied, easing the mood. “And I know I don’t exactly have a say in your company and your technology, but I would appreciate it if you shared what’s been going on with the portal development.”

Lena and Rey sat down on her office couch, and Lena told them a harrowing story of an engineer at L-Corp coming to the rescue of the technicians at a remote test facility by grabbing the only existing prototype of an energy stabilizer and shoving it and herself through the test portal designed for small suitcase sized objects. She transported just in time to install it and prevent an energy overload that happened in an unpredicted way. It had blown out the safety shutdown redundancies and would have destroyed the system and very likely seriously injured the workers there. And her own life would most certainly have been lost.  
“I didn’t know whether to fire her or give her a raise and a medal,” Lena said. “Protocol was to evacuate the test site and let it blow, but the prototype was her baby and she was sure it would work. She said she didn’t think about the dangers of transporting herself at the time, she just did it.”  
Rey sat quiet, absorbed in the story.  
“Then,” Lena continued, “before reporting the incident, in anticipation that she might get canned, and with the collusion of her supervisor I might add, she built another three stabilizers and distributed them to the other test facilities to prevent the same kind of overload from happening again.”  
“What did you decide?” Rey asked, “about what would happen to her?”  
“She’s had to go through some retraining on safety procedures, but I didn’t take her off the project. Officially she was reprimanded, but in private I met with her and told her that was some real Rose Tico shit and that I admired her for it. She’ll get a nice bonus if she manages not to get herself or anyone else killed by the end of the year.”  
Rey laughed, but then narrowed their eyes at Lena, “And you were willing to have me transport to a party based on that one incident? Really?”  
Lena had the decency to look ashamed.  
“Well, after that, I may have signed off on some upscaling and additional testing, and it’s gone flawlessly ever since.”  
Rey shook their head. “And the ethics of using this super secret technology to deliver your date?”  
“It was a momentary lapse of judgment, and I completely see the error of my ways,” Lena said, abashed.  
“You are a dangerous woman,” Rey said reluctantly, knowing that this technology existed throughout the universe, and whether they liked it or not, now it was in human hands, thanks in large part to the Daxamites. If it was going to be anyone overseeing how it was used and introduced, Lena was probably the best person for the job.  
“I promise to use my power for good,” Lena said.  
“Why make an announcement at all? Why not just keep it secret?”  
“I do still have to think about the company and earning profits. With the patent secured, announcing it gives us ownership and the best way to control it. We’ve discovered things in the development process that we can sell to other industries to increase manufacturing efficiency and greatly diminish environmental impact. With that I can keep my transporter in a pre-release test phase for quite a long time while we iron out how to make sure it’s used responsibly and kept out of military hands.”  
“Ok, so you have put a lot of thought into this,” Rey said.  
“I hope that makes you feel a little better.”  
“A little. I’m still worried about what Edge might try,” Rey said, knowing he had tried to kill Lena before.  
“I’ll talk to the security team. Have them on high alert.”  
Rey made a noise that reflected the worry that still itched at them. After asserting that they absolutely would not be there, of course their protective side would rear its head and make them unhappy about that. They had an idea, but there had been enough intense discussion for one afternoon. It might be better to bring up later.  
And, Rey realized, there was an aspect to their relationship that Rey had been remiss in discussing. And it seemed like now, well, not now, but soon, might be an appropriate time to bring it up.  
Rey told Lena they had some more things they needed to take care of that day and suggested they get together later in the evening. Lena agreed, and they parted ways after a few soft kisses and I love yous.

_____

Kara had been thinking about little else besides what it now meant that Lena had already known she was Supergirl. What did it mean to their friendship? Had she known when they talked at the botanical gardens? Did she hate her because she hadn’t told her? Had Lillian told her? That would be the worst possible scenario.  
She had wanted to give Lena space after she had broken into the apartment earlier and nearly attacked her assistant, but she couldn’t wait any longer. She needed to know how Lena felt … about her … and about her being Supergirl. 

Kara: Can we talk?  
Lena: I don’t have a lot of time right now.  
Kara: Even a few minutes. Please.  
Lena: I’ll be home in about 5 minutes. I’ll meet you on the balcony.  
Kara: Thank you.

The setting sun was a glowing orange when Kara touched down only a couple minutes later. She leaned against the balcony wall, looking out toward the ocean and watching the sun sink below the horizon. The breeze played with her hair and brought the sounds of the city up to her as she was lost in her thoughts.

When Lena walked into the penthouse, she saw that Supergirl was already on the balcony. She didn’t think she had ever seen anyone as naturally beautiful. It took RobertT2 speaking her name for her to refocus on the moment at hand. 

Robert gestured to the hero on the balcony. With a few hand movements it was clear she wanted to know if Lena needed her to shoo Supergirl away. Lena put a hand on Robert’s arm and said, “It’s ok. We need to talk, and I asked her to come. Just give us a bit of privacy, please. Rey will be here soon.”

Robert nodded and disappeared through the panel that led to her apartment. 

Lena thought about pouring herself a drink but decided it wasn’t what she needed. She needed to show Kara they were still friends. 

Kara turned when she heard the balcony door open.  
“Lena,” she said, a shadow of hope in her voice, but also fear.  
“Kara,” Lena said as she walked over to the rail. The second time she used Kara’s real name when she was wearing the suit was much softer than the first.  
“I need to apologize … for so many things,” Kara began. She started to take a huge breath to continue.  
“Wait. I really don’t have much time, and I know we need to talk more, and I look forward to it. But before you go on, please let me say, your friendship means everything to me. I’ve been able to process this for a while now,” she continued, looking out to the distant water.  
She moved closer to Kara, pressing their shoulders together as they both looked to the horizon, wanting to show her that they hadn’t lost the comfort of casual physical affection they had with each other. She could hear the hitches in Kara’s breath, an indication of tears held back, hopefully from relief. “It’s going to be ok. I’m not angry with you anymore,” Lena finished.  
“That really changes most of what I was prepared to say,” Kara said with a choking laugh that spoke to how emotional she was in the moment. “You’re not mad?”  
“I was. For a long time. But you kept showing me what a true friend you were and how you never doubted me and always believed in me. I came to understand that the reason you didn’t tell me didn’t have anything to do with trust or a lack of friendship.”  
“I’m sorry I lied to you for so long. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I was so close. I had decided I was going to ask you if we could meet at the garden again and tell you there, you know, sort of like my own big admission,” Kara laughed and then sighed heavily. “And then I saw your assistant vacuuming and … broke into your home and almost attacked her. And I felt horrible and thought I’d messed everything up … again.”  
Lena looked over at her friend.  
“I was harshly reminded earlier today that we all make mistakes, Kara. I forgive you for this morning. Let’s move on. And lets both admit that neither of us are perfect, and we never will be.”  
“Okay,” Kara said softly, nodding her head, grateful that Lena wasn’t furious with her. “I don’t know what I would do without you,” she whispered as she faced Lena and bent her head down. Lena turned to her and touched her forehead to Kara’s.  
“I feel the same way.”  
Kara took Lena’s hands in her own. Now was the time. She should tell Lena now that she wanted to be more than friends.  
“Lena, I …”  
Robert knocked softly on the glass door and then opened it, speaking the name she used for Rey. Lena stepped back.  
“I’m sorry. I have to go,” Lena said, but allowed Kara to keep holding her hands, as if she were reluctant to end the conversation.  
“How long have you known?” Kara asked. She would have to tell Lena about her feelings another time, but this … she wanted to know before she left.  
“Does it matter?”  
“I’d like to know.”  
“Since the gala, where you showed up in both personas. I figured it out when I was getting ready for the evening.”  
Kara shook her head, disbelieving. All this time, all the anguish over how and when to tell her, and Lena had known practically from the beginning. She didn’t know why it even surprised her. And Lena had held onto the secret all that time. Let her get away with every lie, every ludicrous excuse. Through the open door Kara saw Robert letting in Rey, who was holding a bouquet of flowers, and knew she had to go.  
“I’ll go now,” she told Lena and then hugged her and whispered, “Thank you for forgiving me. I love you.”  
Lena was a little surprised by Kara’s statement as she returned the embrace, but she reminded herself it wasn’t the first time Kara had said that. She didn’t mean it in the same way that Lena felt it.  
But now Rey was here, with flowers, and that was a good sign that she had been forgiven as well.  
_____

“Everything okay?” Rey asked without preamble as they handed over the bouquet they had just picked up at the bodega down the street. They had seen the superhero launch off the balcony shortly after they arrived.  
“Yes, I think so,” Lena answered vaguely. She took the flowers and leaned in to give Rey a more than welcoming kiss in thanks. They walked hand in hand to the kitchen where Lena stretched to reach a high cupboard where her vases were kept. Rey came up behind her to assist and handed down a heavy crystal cylinder.  
“You don’t usually get visits from Supergirl here, do you?” Rey asked, prodding gently for a little more information.  
“Something kind of big happened this morning,” Lena paused in the process of setting the flowers out to cut the stems. Looking over to the balcony and its newly restored door, Lena recited the events of the morning.  
“Supergirl heard noise she thought was suspicious coming from my penthouse and used her X-ray vision to look inside. She saw Robert doing some vacuuming and dancing around to her music, leapt to the worst conclusion, and then got aggressive in her protectiveness and broke in to defend me from the supposedly vicious alien in my apartment,” Lena said, crossing her arms over her chest as she relived the event in her mind.  
“Poor Robert went into full-on battle mode, shooting darts and waving around a skillet. Kara was revving up her heat vision,” Lena said as she waved her fingertips in front of her own eyes. “I barely stepped in in time to stop them.” She left out the part about being only partially dressed.  
Rey was surprised, and a little amused. “Wow, that sounds … I mean … just wow. Is Robert ok?” Rey asked, noting that RobertT2 had disappeared into her own apartment.  
“Yes. I think she and Jess commiserated afterward,” Lena said as she began to cut stems and place them into the vase. “But Supergirl could have hurt her.”  
“I doubt she would have, though. As much as I dislike the tactics of the people she works with, Supergirl has a pretty good track record of pulling her punches to match who she’s up against,” Rey said.  
“Said the other alien in my apartment who she might have gone after,” Lena said, lifting an eyebrow.  
Rey held up both hands, “I’m just saying. But you’re right, that was definitely pretty big.”  
“I haven’t gotten to the big part yet,” Lena said, efficiently sweeping the stem ends into a drawer that held the kitchen bin and adding water to the vase.  
Rey raised their eyebrows in anticipation.  
“I stepped in just in time and told Kara to stop,” Lena said with meaningful intonation, placing the vase on the island.  
“You mentioned that. I’m sure it was scary.” Rey was still waiting for the big part.  
Lena elaborated.  
“I literally said, ‘Kara, no.’”  
“Ohhhhh,” Rey drawled.  
“So now she knows I know.”  
“How did that go?”  
“Well, we only just now talked about it directly, and just for a few minutes. She was quite torn up about it, but I told her I wasn’t angry anymore. And I forgave her for lying to me. We’ll need to discuss it more, but I didn’t want to cut into my time with you tonight.”  
Rey nodded. “Thank you.” They embraced Lena for a long moment, offering comfort after what had been a day fraught with difficult emotions. On a different day, Rey might have suggested they postpone their own evening so that Lena could work out this new development with her best friend, but Lena and Rey had had a particularly difficult day, too, and Rey wanted this time to themselves, especially since there was one more discussion they wanted to have.  
They took Lena’s hand and led her over to the sofa. “Robert will figure it out fairly soon, too, if she hasn’t already.”  
“I know. And I’m pretty sure Jess has known almost as long as I have, but she’s never said anything about it to me.”

Rey took a deep breath.  
“Hey, about the gala,” they began.  
“I’m so sorry about earlier,” Lena said.  
“I know. It’s okay. We’re good now. I thought of something, though. Why don’t you ask Kara to be your date?” Rey said.  
“Kara?”  
“Yes. You have to admit, she’s considerably more capable of protecting you than I am.”  
Lena considered it. “It’s a thought. I was really looking forward to the way you can glare down entitled old white men, though.”  
“Kara can do that,” Rey said.  
“Kara gets fumbly and adjusts her glasses a lot. Her most fierce insult is ‘jerk guy.’ It’s not very intimidating.”  
“She gets flustered when she’s with you because she’s attracted to you,” Rey asserted.  
Lena shakes her head and laughs. “No, she’s really not.”  
“Could have fooled me,” Rey said, thinking of how intimate Lena and Kara had looked on the balcony earlier. “But at the very least I think she’s prepared to handle anything Edge might have up his sleeve.”

“I suppose I could ask if she would be my pretend date,” Lena said, sliding closer to Rey and slipping her arms around their shoulders.  
“It doesn’t have to be pretend, Lena,” Rey said, their tone serious.  
Lena tilted her head to the side and pulled away. “You’re confusing me, Rey. Why does it seem like you’re invested in me and Kara getting together somehow?” Lena asked. “I’m in a relationship with you. Not her,” she said emphatically.  
Rey faced Lena on the couch, drawing one leg up between them and resting their arm across the back.  
“Do you remember, a while back, when I said that it’s ok to love more than one person?” Rey asked.  
“Vaguely,” Lena responded. “Though I haven’t thought much about what you meant by that. I believe I was distracted by a dildo store.”  
Rey laughed but soon refocused. This was a serious topic, and they didn’t take it lightly. After all, differences on what poly meant when it came to actually practicing it had ended their last long-term relationship.  
“I really should have brought this up earlier, and I apologize to you for not doing it. We sort of went from paid arrangement to in love without all the the relationship building in between … I mean, yeah, we were building a relationship, but it was under the guise of a contract … then things just happened.” Rey shook their head trying to regain focus as Lena listened intently.  
“I’m not sure where you’re going with this, Rey,” she said, concerned.  
“When I made my agreement with Kai, I agreed to see only you, as part of the contract. By nature, though, I’m polyamorous. I believe that we can love more than one person, romantically or in any way, at the same time. That love isn’t a zero-sum quantity. Loving one person doesn’t mean you love another person less. I don’t own anyone else’s sexual or emotional expression, and I don’t want to try to restrict it. Do you understand?” Rey asked.  
Lena thought for a long moment, sussing out what Rey was trying to say. There were many angles to it, but she returned to her original question. Why did Rey seem so invested in her relationship with Kara?  
“Are you saying you’re ok with it if something happens between Kara and me?” Lena asked, incredulous.  
“Not that I’m ok with it. That I support it. If that’s what your heart wants—and you’ve been completely honest about still loving her, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that—then I support that, especially if she feels the same way.”  
“I … I’m …,” Lena was astounded. “You continue to surprise me. I’ve never heard of … I have so many questions right now.”  
“This for sure isn’t just a one-conversation topic, Lena,” Rey assured her. “And it doesn’t mean I won’t have some very difficult feelings if you and Kara suddenly go head over heels for each other and I get left in the dust. It doesn’t mean my heart won’t break … if that happens,” Rey admitted. “Just know that I believe you deserve all the love in your life that you can get. It’s possible that could be me _and_ Kara.”  
“Okay,” Lena said, nodding, not sure where to begin.  
“You, or both of us, would have to talk with Kara about it, too, to get her consent … if you want to see both of us,” Rey said, sounding a little more uncertain again. “That’s important. If that’s what you want.”  
Lena reached for them. “I don’t want to lose you, Rey. No matter what happens with Kara. I love you.”  
“I love you, too,” Rey said, leaning close and kissing her softly. “It might get complicated. Really complicated.”  
Lena huffed a little laugh and snuggled closer to Rey, tucking her head under their chin. “I can see that,” she said. This was definitely something it would have been good to talk about earlier in their relationship. How would she feel if … when … Rey wanted to see someone else? She didn’t really feel prepared to think about that just yet, so she set the thought aside for now.  
Her mind was reeling with imagined situations in which she got to have loving relationships with two extraordinary people. She quickly scoffed at the thought. Nothing like that would happen with Kara. It was Kara. Her best friend.

“She’s really in it deep with you, you know,” Rey said.  
“I’m telling you she’s not into me. At all. We’ve established that,” Lena said with the barest of pout creeping in. “I’m still not certain it’s a good idea to ask her to be my date for the gala. I’ll need to be at my sharpest at this event, and I turn into a useless wreck when I see her in a gown,” Lena said, laughing and rolling her eyes at herself.  
“You know, the best way to deal with that is for you to be the wrecking ball,” Rey said suggestively.  
“What are you talking about?”  
“You wear the suit,” Rey whispered into her ear, pulling her into their lap.  
“Me in a suit?” Lena asked. Rey started to nip at her ear and she found she was getting very turned on.  
“Yes. You wanted me to get a suit this morning. Have one made for you instead. You’ll be breathtaking,” Rey said, setting their lips on Lena’s neck and drawing a line up with pointed tongue, making Lena gasp.  
“You’re quite convincing, but we’re talking about Kara,” Lena said, “who doesn’t see me that way.”  
“Mmm-hmm,” Rey said, noncommittal. “Believe me, if you wear a suit to your gala, Kara is going to lose her fucking mind.” Rey thought for a moment. “I hate that I’m gonna miss that.” They pulled back, another idea coming to the surface. This one sheerly for their own entertainment. “Hey, is there CC tv at these things?”  
_____

They talked late into the night and by the time they both drifted off in Lena’s massive bed, Lena’s spinning mind had processed a lot more information about polyamory and the many different ways that it took shape.  
Lena had given Rey a lot more information on her plans for the gala and how she had used one of the overseas L-Corp divisions to patent the transmatter portal in Luxembourg, where the information included in a patent was held much more securely than in the U.S.  
Listening to Rey’s soft snores, Lena began to think about how she didn’t feel quite so cavalier about her mortality anymore. Morgan Edge was an unscrupulous, murderous bastard. And as much as she would like to rub his nose in this L-Corp victory, it would be wiser to let it slide. She still had the portal. But there were so many L-Corp achievements worth celebrating, and she knew which one would be a perfect fit. In the meantime, there would be the matter of implementing so many detail changes in just a week’s time.  
Jess was going to hate her for a little while. As would her PR and events departments.  
Her instincts, however, told her it would be worth it.  
She couldn’t wait to tell Rey about her idea in the morning.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this next chapter took an extra week. There was a lot of information to sift through and so many versions of the last scene were written and discarded.
> 
> Italics indicates a flashback.

Compared to the span of his lifetime, it wasn’t long ago at all that J’onn J’onzz had taken the shape of DEO Director Hank Henshaw and assumed the life of a xenophobic bully. Concealing his identity for so long meant he had to make changes slowly so as not to seem too out of character with the man he’d replaced. Somehow … somehow … in the process, he had integrated too well with a bureaucratic system that secretly detained alien individuals with no recourse to defend themselves or seek asylum or eventual freedom. For anyone the DEO deemed dangerous, it was capture and imprison with very little investigative follow-up. And he had let it go on for far too long. It would be one of his biggest regrets. But he intended to change that.

On his desk was the sealed response to his request to set an operation in motion that would signal a significant revision to standard operating procedure at the DEO. It came from the president herself. He cracked the seal and slid the document from the envelope.

As he scanned the cryptic response, a broad smile spread across his face. He picked up the secured phone on his desk and pressed one button. A direct line to the desert facility.

“Director Lane, I have orders from the President to proceed on an operation I think you’ll find very much in your wheelhouse. How soon can you be here for a face-to-face briefing?”  
________

“Jess, sorry to call you so early,” Lena spoke into her phone as she held RobertT2’s gaze across the kitchen island, “I want to get a jump on this this morning. I’m taking our gala in a slightly different direction, so I need a few extra people in the meeting this morning.”  
“Ok, just tell me what you need,” said Jess, prepared, as always, for one of Lena’s wild swings in scheduling.  
“Tell PR to bring their top two creatives. Events … um … it’s probably best to have all hands on deck there, so get the whole department in. And I need every project manager from the assistive technology division,” Lena instructed.  
“Assistive Tech?” Jess asked. “Lena, what are you up to?”  
“Executive decision,” Lena replied. “It will be easiest if I brief you along with everyone else. And have Assistive bring every model they’ve got from the new line that just completed testing and trials.”  
“Ok,” said Jess. Things were going to get interesting.  
“Tell Project Crow Fly they’re released from the meeting and I’ll come by and debrief them when we’re done,” Lena continued.  
“But they’re the …” Jess started, then stopped. “Slightly different direction, hmm?” Jess let out a sigh of exasperation she knew Lena could hear.  
Lena, on her end, pulled the phone away from her ear and shared a look of trepidation with Robert.  
“You know what … fine,” Jess grumbled under her breath.  
“There will be some generous bonuses to show L-Corp’s appreciation for the teamwork involved in this, Jess. You included,” she added, hoping it would make Jess’ task a little easier. “One more thing,” Lena said, this time with some hesitancy. “I’m going to need a couple hours free to visit the secure storage site this afternoon to take a look at the stuff we decommissioned from Lex’s vaults.”  
“Lena …” Jess began.  
“Trust me,” Lena said. “I’ve told Robert to assist you in anything you need this week, so you can delegate anything to her that you think she can handle. She can come to the office if you need her hands-on.”  
“Ok,” Jess replied with the same tone she uses every time Lena makes a decision that sets off her caution alarms while also accepting that there is no way of deterring her. Lena might be impulsive, but Jess will always do whatever she can to support her.  
Just as they end their call, a rumpled Rey shambled out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, eyes squinting at the bright lighting that contrasted with the darkness outside the windows.  
“Lena, the sun isn’t up yet. We got about two hours sleep,” Rey groaned. “I can practically feel you vibrating from the bedroom. What’s going on?”  
“Try to go back to sleep, darling,” Lena said from her seat on a stool by the island, pulling Rey close and kissing them on the forehead. “Sorry I woke you. You gave me a lot to think about last night, and I’ve come up with a plan. But considering the gala is next Saturday, there’s not a lot of time to execute it. So I’m just making the most of the time I have.”  
Rey groaned again and plunked their forehead onto Lena’s shoulder. Lena put one arm around their waist and used the other hand to gently massage the back of their head.  
“What can I do to help?” Rey grumbled.  
“Nothing … yet … just get some more sleep for now, grumpy alien,” Lena said, her voice deep with affection.  
“I’ll get right on that,” Rey said, lifting their face and giving Lena a kiss, finding her lips somehow despite their eyes being squinted shut. They turned and dutifully shuffled back to Lena’s luxurious bed.  
Lena looked over to RobertT2, who was wearing her own expression of affection.  
“Rey really doesn’t do well without enough sleep, do they?”  
Robert laughed and shook her head, she held out her arms and did her best groaning zombie shuffle imitation.  
Lena laughed hard, then quieted herself when she heard a complaining grumble from the bedroom. Turning back to her laptop, she continued structuring her plans for the day.  
Robert stepped around Lena to get back to making breakfast but then let out a sudden squeak of alarm.  
Whipping around, Lena was immediately on alert. “What is it?”  
Robert’s eyes were wide, and she motioned for Lena to return to her position facing away. Robert pulled her phone from a back pocket. Lena waited impatiently until Robert tapped her on the shoulder a moment later, holding out her phone.  
There was a photo of Lena’s back, where, in the off-the-shoulder designer dress she was wearing a vivid purple bruise on her shoulder blade was quite visible.  
“Dammit, Rey!” she yelled. There was complete silence this time from the bedroom. “That better be gone by next weekend!” Lena fumed, feeling the heat of a blush rising in her neck as she recalled how the bruise came to be there. She hadn’t exactly objected at the time. “Robert, can you find something else for me to wear today, please?”  
Robert merely bit her lip and nodded vigorously, trying to be sympathetic but also not to laugh.  
_____

After spending the morning working at CatCo, Kara changed into her suit and went to the DEO in the afternoon to see if she was needed there.

There was a lot of bustle in the command center and the upper-deck administrative rooms, but not the usual sort of arming-up kind. Kara noted the presence of people in suits who she’d never seen before, each with a determined look on their face and a DEO agent escort.  
“What’s going on?” she asked Alex, who stood watching with her arms crossed.  
“Lawyers,” she said, as if that were a clear answer.  
“You’re going to have to give me more than that,” Kara said, rolling her eyes. “Is the DEO in trouble? Are we under investigation?” she asked.  
“No and yes,” Alex said.  
Frustrated with Alex’s inscrutable replies, Kara crossed her arms and was about to express her feelings about that when J’onn walked up to their planning table, chest out and head high.  
“Supergirl. Alex. Things are proceeding apace, Agent Danvers?”  
“Yes, sir. I think they’ll be able to start interviews in the next half hour. We don’t have enough administrative rooms to go around. What do you think about allowing them into certain holding cells?”  
“As long as an agent can observe from outside to make sure everyone is safe. Please be sure to activate sound dampeners so that the interview remains private,” he added.  
“Yes, sir.” And with that Alex jogged off to find Vasquez and Director Lane. 

Supergirl looked to J’onn.  
“I never knew what a heavy weight it was on my psyche to be here with so many of the prisoners being held without due cause. Until today,” he said solemnly. “What you see is the result of a proposal I took to the president. When the detainees started protesting, screaming to be heard … I realized there was a part of Hank Henshaw I had never eradicated from this facility. Much to my shame and regret. It’s long overdue.”  
“So the lawyers?” Kara asked.  
“Are here to interview every alien we have in custody. They will examine our records on why they were brought in and held, speak to the agents involved, and since we don’t have to go through a formal court system, some may be released today. We’re still trying to work out what sort of restitution we could offer to anyone who should have been freed long ago, but we’re working on it,” J’onn said with a sigh. “And they’ll need to interview you, too, Supergirl, on every case you participated in.”  
Kara’s eyes grew wide. “I guess I had better clear my schedule,” she said, looking worried.  
“You’ve always done what we asked of you, Supergirl,” he said, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “In fact, the only times you’ve bucked authority were to give someone another chance or the benefit of the doubt. The responsibility for this injustice lies with me as the director. And I aim to make it right,” he said, turning to the woman who was like a daughter to him. “So don’t worry. Just cooperate fully with the investigators.”  
“Yes, sir,” she said.  
J’onn nodded and walked away as Alex returned.  
“After the team handling the Fort Rozz prisoners get their interviews underway, they want to depose your mother’s AI. I’ll need you to give the permission commands,” Alex said.  
“Of course,” Kara said, looking around at what was likely the beginning of massive change at the DEO. Hopefully for the better. She looked to Alex, “How did this happen so fast?”  
Alex lifted an eyebrow as if Kara should already know the answer. “Never underestimate a Lane,” she said. 

Kara blew out a nervous breath. This certainly wasn’t what she’d expected to walk into today, but she had her own DEO-related business to take care of.  
“Alex, I know this isn’t the best time, but I need to let you know that Lena knows I’m Supergirl. She’s known for a while now,” Kara said.  
“Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised,” Alex replied casually, hands on her hips and watching the activity around her, ready to respond if anyone needed direction. “You’re a terrible liar, and the stuff she let you get away with was ridiculous. How did you find out?” Alex asked, turning to look at Kara.  
“It’s a long story, and you’ll probably want a drink, so I’ll tell you later,” Kara said as she watched Director Lucy Lane stride up to them, all business. Despite the director’s serious face Kara couldn’t resist hugging her, and she got a smile in return.  
“Do you need me?” Kara asked.  
“Not for a little while, Supergirl,” Director Lane said. “We have to talk with the detainees first.”  
Kara nodded and felt her phone buzz in her boot. It was a call from Lena. As Lucy spoke with Alex, Kara stepped away to take it.

“Lena, hey. Is everything ok?” Kara asked.  
“Yes, better than ok. I was in the neighborhood and hoped I might catch you at your apartment. Do you happen to be coming home any time soon?”  
“Hold on, I’ll be right there,” Kara said. “I’ll be back later,” she told Alex and flew out by way of the DEO balcony.

After leaving the storage facility, Lena had her driver take her to Kara’s apartment, which wasn’t far away. She had knocked and waited, getting no answer, and then decided to call. Now she leaned back against the bricks, a little nervous, intending to scroll through work email while she waited for Kara to come up the stairs.  
Moments later, when the door suddenly opened and a sunny Supergirl popped out with a, “Hi!” she nearly jumped out of her skin.  
“Fuck!” Lena blurted out, bobbling her phone and clutching one hand over her thudding heart.  
“Sorry! Sorry!” Kara said, surprised at the reaction. “Come in, please,” she said, looking a little sheepish as she stepped back. She looked down at her suit. “Do you want me to change?”  
“No, no, the suit is fine … if you have to go back to work or whatever … It’s just … well, I still sort of think of Supergirl and Kara as two people,” she said, laughing at herself. “I was expecting reporter Kara,” she said, gesturing toward the stairs.  
“Sorry.” Kara repeated, smiling at Lena and knowing there would definitely be an adjustment period. For now she excused herself and threw on a more casual outfit. “Can I get you anything?” Kara asked as she emerged from her bedroom area.  
“Nothing to be sorry for. And no, thank you. I needed to ask you a big favor, and I didn’t want to do it by phone,” Lena said, making herself at home on Kara’s couch.  
“What is it?” Kara asked, sitting next to Lena, her brow furrowing.  
“I know that L-Corp galas aren’t your favorite thing because I tend to put myself at risk,” Lena began, “but I actually plan to be quite cautious at the one we’re having next weekend.” She twisted her hands nervously in her lap. “I really do apologize for not asking sooner, but I was wondering if you would be my date for the evening? As a friend of course.”  
“What about Rey?” Kara asked.  
“They’ll be out of town for a previous commitment.”  
“Well, I was aware that the gala was coming up,” she admitted. “I was already planning to sort of hover around to make sure everyone stays safe,” she laughed, hoping Lena wouldn’t be mad about that.  
Lena laughed with her. Of course Supergirl was planning to keep an eye on things.  
“Was that a yes?” Lena asked hopefully. Kara beamed at her.  
“Yes! Of course, yes! I would love to,” she said, taking Lena’s hands into her own, feeling a little more conscious about the touch than she usually did.  
“It’s formal, and I thought you might like to take advantage of one my seamstresses to get a gown. On me, of course,” Lena said, excited now.  
“That would be amazing! Thank you!” Kara said, knowing her budget didn’t have room for rushed fancy formal wear right now.  
Lena smiled broadly, “Wonderful! I’ll have Robert get in touch and set up an appointment as soon as possible.”  
Kara looked a little worried. “Is she still mad at me?”  
“Maybe a little. I’ll talk with her. I can’t guarantee she won’t tease you though. She thinks Supergirl’s suit is hilarious.”  
“Great. Robert knows, too, then,” Kara said.  
“Sorry. I did call you Kara right in front of her.”  
Kara rolled her eyes, not particularly worried that Robert knew, but she wasn’t going to enjoy the addition of one more person in her life who would tease her about something. She did have an idea of how to get on Robert’s good side, however.  
“You said Robert was your new assistant. How did you learn to understand her language so fast?”  
“Oh, Robert the First and Robert the Second put together an amazing set of vocabulary files for me. I’ve listened to them whenever I can,” Lena explained.  
“Would you send me the files so that I can learn, too? If that’s ok with Robert, of course,” Kara asked.  
“I think that would be very considerate of you,” Lena said, smiling warmly.  
“I should probably be getting back to the DEO soon. There’s a lot going on today,” Kara said as she stood. Lena stood with her and cocked her head in concern.  
“Anything I can help with?” she asked.  
“No, actually it’s pretty good. They’re implementing some reforms in how we treat aliens. It’s just … I think I’m going to have to answer a lot of questions this week. It’s not going to be easy, looking back at everything I’ve done with the DEO.”  
Lena put a reassuring hand on her forearm.  
“Sounds like it will be worth it,” Lena said and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Speaking of changing how we’ve done things in the past, I need to tell you what I’ve got planned for the gala, but it would be easier for me to show you what I have in mind. Can you set up an appointment with Jess? I don’t want there to be any secrets or surprises this time,” Lena said.  
“Of course. And thank you,” Kara said. “I’m really excited about going with you.”  
The way she said it felt to Lena like there was something she wasn’t saying. She turned to Kara at the door.  
“Did I make you uncomfortable by asking you to be my date? And not just a guest?” she asked uncertain of the answer she would get.  
“No, not at all,” Kara said. “But I’ve been thinking. How would you feel if I wanted to be your date? A real date. Not just as friends.”  
Lena scanned Kara’s face closely, making sure she was understanding her correctly. Apparently Rey had been right.  
“I … I would be thrilled,” Lena said, though immediately her mind went to all the things she and Rey had discussed the night before, about knowledge and consent and support from all parties involved.  
“Ok!” Kara said, beaming again. “Great! That’s awesome!” She hugged Lena close and pulled back when she heard her phone buzz on her coffee table.  
“Duty is probably calling,” she explained. She hugged Lena again and and walked her to the door.  
“Wait, Kara,” Lena began, “before I go …” Her own phone buzzed. It was Jess telling her she had five minutes before her next meeting.  
Kara’s phone buzzed insistently again, but she waited for Lena to continue, giving her her full attention.  
“We’ll have to talk more later, ok? About this,” Lena furiously sought the words she could say now to be clear but without discouraging Kara. “The date.” She took a deep breath and got to her point. “You know how much I’ve wanted this,” she said, taking Kara’s hand and trying to tune out the insistent buzzing signals from their outside lives.  
Kara nodded, looking deep into her eyes. “Yes.”  
“I do want this. But I’m not going to stop seeing Rey. And I wouldn’t hide anything from them either. I want you to think about how you feel about that,” she said.  
Kara searched Lena’s face for more information, for anything, and what she saw was pure sincerity from her friend. And hope.  
Kara’s phone was practically vibrating off the table.  
Jess texted once more looking for an ETA.  
“I will,” Kara said. It would take her awhile just to process what Lena had told her.  
“Thank you,” Lena said, leaning in fast for a quick kiss to Kara’s cheek. “I love you,” she whispered just before she stepped out and rushed out the door and down the hall as fast as her heels would allow.  
“Fuck,” Kara said.  
_____

Alex 3:31: Lucy’s team is ready for you  
Alex 3:33: Send me your ETA  
Alex 3:33: She’s standing here waiting  
Alex 3:35: For the love of god, get your ass back here now  
Alex 3:36: Great. Now she has the look. There’s nothing I can do to protect you now

_____

It was a weekly ritual for Rey, and it always helped return them to center, to regain peace in a chaotic, brutal world. They took the last few steps up the dingy stairwell and found the tatami mats they kept here still where they should be. Not that Rey expected any of the alien tenants would make off with one, or all three. It’s just when you leave something out in the world, you had to accept it may not still be there when you returned. That maybe someone else needed it more. 

They tucked the mats under their arm and pushed open the door to the roof. The temperature up here wasn’t as hot as other roofs around because of the thick green living organism that spread across its surface. 

Rey took off their sandals and placed the first mat down. Like every week, they began the ritual with honoring the person who brought the organism here. Naomi the caretaker. A hopeful, peaceful soul. Earth was the third planet she had visited, hoping to find a world that was hospitable to her delicate lungs. Earth was the closest she had come to finding what she needed, but enough damage had been done during her search, and the pollutants in the air of this world finished the job. She had sought out Rey when she knew she had only weeks to live. 

Seshran was just a single knob then, tucked with her tendrils wrapped around her in a pouch slung across Naomi’s chest. She’d squirmed and mewled sometimes, wanting to settle and spread. Rey had shown them this spot and both newcomers approved. Rey and Naomi had nestled Seshran into the northwest corner where she would be most protected, and then Naomi had taught Rey how to care for her. 

Rey stepped onto the first mat, feeling the pulse of life through the soles of their feet and inhaling the lush, crisp smell that emanated when their friend came to full awareness, like green apples and and rich earth. 

They rolled out the second mat and stepped onto it. 

Seshran was one being, and also a collective, like a fungus that spreads slowly. It had been four years since they brought her to this rooftop above the apartment building where many of the aliens Rey has helped resided peacefully.

Rey laid out the third mat and approached the head and heart of Seshran, the center of her consciousness. Five grapefruit size bulbous masses, connected to each other in line like a string of soft beads, were nestled up to the brick ledge of the building. Their light green surface undulated at Rey’s approach, anticipating a visit from a friend.

They were soft skinned and delicate, easily damaged, and each bulb had what looked at first like a dimple, but was actually a little mouth. Rey set down their pack and pulled out a little glass jar, its contents still warm, filled with honey diluted in hot water. They unscrewed the cap and dipped a finger in and transferred a drop to the first mouth. 

She smiled and pulsed, rubbed up against Rey’s hand in response like a kitten. She was an affectionate organism. Away from the bulbs spread a thick mat of lush green growth, which was where Rey could lay the tatami mats without injuring Seshran. The growth reached across the rooftop, growing thinner and thinner and into fine tendrils of dark green. Each tiny facet of the growth absorbed heat from the day, converting it to oxygen and emitting a calming energy. Its bioluminescence became active each night as the light faded and night settled into the city.

Rey sat down on the mat and crossed their legs. Their pants were loose and soft, as was their shirt. They meditated in peace for a while, feeling deeper emotions and thoughts rising to the surface. Allowing them. Accepting them.  
_____

Kara had actually been grateful for the lawyers, and for Lucy being a little miffed at her. It was a distraction. She had given Alura’s AI instructions to answer questions about any part of the records of Fort Rozz prisoners, and when she had stayed to observe she found that some of her mother’s terse answers needed elaboration. 

Such as sedition. Was it really a crime worthy of prison on earth when a Kryptonian urged citizens to rise up against people like her parents who were turning a blind eye to the planet’s destruction?

At the end of the day the lawyers packed up and a few detainees had already been released. Others had been allowed to contact family and friends on the outside, to see if they still had a place to go. Kara had witnessed more than a few emotional calls and her heart wrenched, knowing she was part of the unchecked force that had kept them there. 

Lucy had taken her aside, urging her to take some time and space for herself, advising her not to get mired in guilt. “We’re turning this around now, Kara. It’s not going to be easy, but with your cooperation we are going to dismantle the system we were bound by and build a better one that protects off-worlders and humans alike, fairly and justly.”

Now Kara found herself soaring over the city she loved in wide, arcing circles in the sky, taking it easy with her eyes to the stars, like riding an eddy in the ocean, around and around until she could let the weight of the day at the DEO fall away and refocus on the joy she felt after talking with Lena that afternoon. She had a date. A date with Lena Luthor.

Lena had seemed so excited, so happy, when Kara had worked up the nerve to ask if it could be a real date. But then she said she wouldn’t stop seeing Rey, and asked Kara to consider that. 

At first Kara questioned it. Why wouldn’t Lena stop seeing Rey? If she loves me and she can have me, why would she keep seeing Rey?  
Then she went back and thought again about what Lena had asked of her. She said she wouldn’t stop seeing Rey. And she wouldn’t hide anything from them. _I want you to think about how you feel about that._

So how would she feel if Lena was seeing them both? She definitely didn’t want to be the secret lover. She knew that she felt jealous of Rey when Lena started spending more time with them. And she knew it was about more than just time. It was about sharing Lena’s affection.

She thought about how Lena spoke of Rey. They way her smile beamed and her face glowed with a blush of things she wasn’t telling Kara, which, sure, Kara was happy not to know too much about that. And she thought about when Lena told her about Rey being paid. That she cared deeply for them. That Rey was safe. That she trusted Rey.

And Kara realised that she was the one who couldn’t be trusted fully yet. No wonder Lena didn’t want to stop seeing Rey. How did she know Kara wouldn’t change her mind tomorrow, or disappear into another dimension, or turn evil under the influence of Red K? Or lie to her again.  
Kara felt the guilt start to press on her chest, but she pushed back. She could change. She was going to be better. She knew she had made a lot of mistakes, but the answer wasn’t to crawl under a rock and punish herself. It was to learn from those mistakes and do better. She was going to prove to Lena that she could rely on her. And if Lena wanted to keep seeing Rey, that was fine. Kara swallowed the swell of jealousy. It was fine. She respected Lena’s decisions.

She breathed the night air deep into her lungs. Sometimes you just have to feel things, her counselor had told her. Even if it’s uncomfortable. So she felt the wind on her face and hands and felt a little possessive and felt a little jealous until it subsided to a smaller presence in her consciousness. 

Once she turned and focused back on the city, she was drawn to a dim glow on a rooftop on the less affluent side of town. Heading east to investigate, she slowed to a hover position and looked on in fascination. It was Lena’s friend … companion … Rey. There was a luminescent biological plant matter covering the roof. Thin veins of faint green light glowed in waves across it. Kara was fairly certain it was not a plant species from earth. Without being aware she was doing it, she drifted closer and closer.  
_____

Deep in their meditation, things were rising to the surface, becoming more clear. Rey could feel themself pulling back, going into self-protection mode. Removing their real feelings so they wouldn’t get hurt. It was just a relationship. It was just another experience in their life. It didn’t matter if it changed. Things change. You’ll be fine. It doesn’t matter. If Lena doesn’t need you, that’s ok. 

Pushing. Pushing everything and everyone to arms’ length. 

Lena is new. Yes, you connect. Yes, it’s amazing. But can you trust her to really be there? Can you trust her like you trust your crew in Central City? They’ve been with you for years. They’ve stuck their necks out for you. You’ve been there for them. They’re fighting the same fight. They don’t have a parachute of unlimited wealth and power and still they’ve had your back.

Lena is about to get everything she ever wanted. A beautiful, blonde superhero. A god. 

Who are you, Rey? You’re one of a thousand genetic experiments set in motion by a cold, unfeeling species that has all the time in the world to find the perfect genetic mix to take over this world. You don’t belong with humans, and you’re not an off-worlder. You’ve never been further than a cloaked ship in orbit, a semi-conscious child in excruciating pain, screaming and not understanding what’s happening to you. 

And how do you know they won’t find you again tomorrow? 

The old familiar fear surged inside Rey. They clenched their fists, squeezed their eyes shut. No. No. No. Don’t give in to it. Don’t let it own you.

They took a deep breath, opened their eyes and pulled out their phone. With shaking hands they typed a message.

Rey: Kai, can I come over?  
_____

It was more Seshran’s excited pips that made Rey aware than the sound of thick material tossed in the breeze.

“I can hear your cape flapping. Would you like to join me?”  
Rey was almost certain they had spotted Supergirl doing laps in the sky earlier, and it didn’t surprise them that Seshran’s happy glow caught her eye. They were actually surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. 

Kara drifted down close to Rey. “Thank you.”  
“Take off your boots and step only on the mat, please,” Rey instructed.  
“I didn’t mean to intrude, but I was so curious I couldn’t tear myself away,” Kara said. Pulling up a little bravery from somewhere deep, she added, “I also thought, maybe, it would be good for us to talk. If this is an ok time.”

Rey smiled. Lena had called them during the rushed drive to her next meeting to let Rey know how it had gone, the asking Kara to the gala. And though the conversation was hurried, Rey recognized the simultaneous elation and worry in Lena’s voice, and they assured her that with good communication all around, everything would work out fine. So even though some of their own fears were close to the surface, they were more than pleased that Kara wanted to talk. “This is a great time.”

Kara, still hovering, removed her boots and set them gently on the second mat before she landed on the third. She took off her cape, rolled it into a bundle and put it on top of her boots, then sat on the tatami next to Rey. Rey remained in their meditation position but turned their head to look at Supergirl.

“What is this?” Kara asked, leaning toward the little bun-like mounds. Rey saw the delight on Kara’s face. As they explained, they handed Kara the diluted honey and showed her how to feed the treat to Seshran, who seemed to be excited about a new presence. Kara’s smile was luminous, and several times she looked from the organism to Rey, her expression full of wonder and joy. Rey could clearly understand why Lena was so attracted to her. 

They noticed that Supergirl was definitely delaying ‘the talk,’ but they had to admit that Seshran was being terribly distracting with cuteness, so they couldn’t blame her.

“Isn’t it dangerous,” Kara asked, though without judgment, “introducing something like this that didn’t evolve here?”  
“It could be,” Rey said. “And I wouldn’t advise anyone to try something similar. Earth history is full of people intending to solve a problem by introducing a plant or animal from another region only to have it backfire with the new organism leading to destructive unintended consequences.” Rey stroked Seshran with the back of their knuckles, enjoying the feeling her returning the pressure and emitting her version of a purr. “She grows very slowly, though, and she can’t propagate without assistance. But mostly she needed a home and I couldn’t say no.”  
_____

_Rey was still new to this, helping off-worlders, and they were scared shitless. They couldn’t say no when asked to take care of this lifeform. But now they watched as Naomi shuddered, taking quick shallow breaths and trembling in their arms, and they were less certain. Rey’s heart hammered in their chest.  
Naomi was so light, like she was made of papier-mache, so Rey held her, protecting her from the wind. And when she’d taken her last breath, when her body collapsed like a spider web with its tethers broken free, the dust it became spun around in the air currents and clung to Seshran, joining Naomi to the collective._

_Rey cried. They didn’t know what the fuck they were doing. They didn’t know if they could handle this shit. They weren’t an off-worlder. They were born here. They’d never been to space or another planet. Who the hell did they think they were? Trying to help people they knew nothing about? Scraping together contacts and trying to make deals. Trading, bargaining, learning._

_What if_ he _found Rey? What if_ he _heard about a half-Ledaei among the off-worlders in National City? What if_ he _found them and took them back into that ship? Into that lab?_

 _Rey’s blood ran ice cold in their veins, and they squeezed their eyes shut tight and reached out to gently touch Seshran. The feeling of love and wholeness that seeped back into them, through their fingertips and up their arm, warming the freckled pattern on their back like a beam of sunlight … it astounded them. They felt Naomi … and Seshran … and so many more. It was worth the risk._  
_____

“So,” Kara said after they had been sitting together for several minutes. “Lena asked me on a date, to the gala. I said yes.”  
“I heard,” Rey said, smiling genuinely. “I’m happy for you.”  
Kara’s brows knit together. “Are you sure?” she asked, then hurried on to express her jumbled thoughts. “I mean, Lena told me … a while ago … about you being a paid companion. So I thought it would be ok if it was a real date, with Lena and me,” she rambled. “But then Lena said she didn’t want to stop seeing you. Even though she really really seems like she would want to date me. But she had to go, and so did I, so we haven’t really talked yet. But she said we would …”  
“Supergirl,” Rey interrupted.  
“Kara. Kara is fine. I mean, you know who I am already, so …” Kara said.  
“True. Can I ask you something?” Rey said.  
“Sure,” answered Kara, turning her attention back to Rey.  
“Why didn’t you tell Lena about being Supergirl, especially after you knew she was in love with you?”  
Kara blushed in response to the blunt question.  
“I knew it would hurt her, and I couldn’t do that. Even though I knew I was hurting her already by not telling her. And I was afraid I would lose her.”  
“Do you think her love is so fragile?” asked Rey. “The biggest part of love is being honest in the face of losing everything. And I don’t think she could ever stop loving you.”  
Kara looked astounded by how unphased Rey seemed to be, talking about Lena loving her as if it were just a simple fact.  
“But I betrayed her trust. I don’t deserve it.”  
“Kara, whether you think you deserve it or not, you should respect how she feels. It’s a gift.”  
“I know. I do,” said Kara. “I’m trying to be better at this.” She paused to laugh at herself and shake her head. “Way, way better, which shouldn’t be hard considering what an idiot I’ve been.”  
“Hey,” Rey said, putting a reassuring hand on Kara’s shoulder. “How about you and I try starting this friendship with no pretenses or secrets.” Rey straightened up and held out their right hand. “Hi, I’m Rey, no last name. Well, I’ve had one, but I don’t use it now. My pronouns are they/them. I’m half human and half Ledaei.” Rey saw Kara’s eyes widen. She hadn’t figured out the half-alien part yet. “I run an organization called Off-Worlder Assist, and I’m dating Lena.”  
Kara smiled and grasped Rey’s hand.  
“Hi, I’m Kara Zor-El of Krypton, also Kara Danvers and Supergirl. My pronouns are she/her, and I’m best friends with Lena. But recently I realized I definitely have some stronger feelings for her.”  
“Same with the strong feelings,” replied Rey, grinning. “We’ve exchanged the L word.”  
Kara looked perplexed, her mind having gone to a TV show title.  
“Love,” Rey clarified. “We’ve said that we love each other.”  
“Oh,” said Kara, looking crestfallen.  
Rey could see the path her thoughts and feelings were taking.  
“Kara,” Rey said, placing a gentle hand on top of the Kara’s, “Don’t jump to any conclusions just yet, ok?”

Kara shook her head and got a little lost in her thoughts. How different would things be if she had just told Lena early on? Still, she couldn’t ask for a better response than the one Lena had given her. She wasn’t even mad. And Rey seemed to like her, which was good, but a little confusing right now. 

“And just so you know,” Rey said, “I’m not working for the agency anymore. That wasn’t, like, a regular job for me. Lena is the only person I ever did that with.”  
Kara straightened, surprised again.  
“Oh. Ok. No judgment. But I admit it does make me feel a little better.”  
They sat in silence together for a little while. Rey had started to feel better, the fears easing off. Talking with Supergirl made her feel a little more like Kara. Like just a person.

Rey’s phone buzzed.  
Kai: Of course. Any time. Everything ok?  
Rey tapped a quick reply.  
Rey: I think it will be. See you soon

“I need to leave, Kara. But you can stay if you’d like,” Rey said as they stood.  
“No, that’s ok. I should go home. I need to get some rest.”  
Kara stood and held her arms out as if it were the most natural thing to do.  
Rey shrugged. Who were they to turn down a hug from Supergirl? It felt good. Kara was warm compared to the cool night air and the embrace was brief, but it felt important and good.  
Rey rolled up the mats as Supergirl put her cape and boots back on, floating in mid air. They smiled at how simultaneously odd and normal it all felt.  
“I’ll see you later, Kara. We can talk more,” they said.  
“I’d like that,” Kara replied, smiling as she peeled off into the sky.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. I'd love to hear what you think. Every kudo means so much -- it sends a little recommendation to readers who aren't sure they want to invest in a story like this.


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